FLOATING    FANCIES 


AMONG  THE 


WIvlRI)  AND  THE  OCCULT. 


BY 

CLAilA  H.  HOLMES. 


F.  TENNYSON   NEELY, 

PUBLISHER, 
LONDON.  NK\V  YORK. 


Copyright,  1898, 

by 
CLARA  H.  HOLMES. 


TO    MY  FKIEND, 

WILLIAM  MONTGOMERY. 


2G72378 


CONTENTS. 


PAOE 

NORDHUNG  NORDJANSEN 7 

IN  THE  BEYOND 29 

THE  TRAGEDY  OP  THE  GNOMES 51 

AN  UNFAIR  EXCHANGE 9? 

LIMITATIONS 99 

A  TALK  OF  Two  PICTURES 119 

A  NINETEENTH   CENTURY  GHOST 152 

WHAT  BECAME  OF  THE  MONEY? 169 

His  FRIEND 196 

A  TALE  OF  THE  X-RAY 214 

AN  AVERTED  TRAGEDY 281 


FLOATING  FANCIES. 


NORDHUNG  NORDJANSEN. 

VERY  many  years  ago,  in  an  age  when  depart 
ures  from  the  regular  line  of  thought  were  ac 
counted  but  vagaries  of  a  diseased  brain,  when 
science  was  a  thing  of  dread,  and  great  knowl 
edge  deemed  but  sorcery,  Nordhung  Nordjansen 
was  born,  and  grew  to  early  manhood  on  the  fav 
northern  coast  of  Norway. 

Through  all  his  boyhood  days — whenever  he 
could  steal  away  from  his  father  and  his  father's 
plodding  work — he  would  climb  the  bold  crags 
which  overlooked  the  Northern  Sea,  and  gaze 
with  hungry  eyes  over  the  vast  expanse  of  water. 

"If  I  could  but  know  what  lies  beyond  that 
cold  horizon,"  he  would  sigh. 

He  expressed  this  longing  to  his  father. 

"Get  your  mother  a  bundle  of  fagots,  and  pry 
not  into  the  unknown,"  answered  his  father,  so 
sternly  that  Nordhung  dared  not  mention  it 
again,  and  being  an  obedient  boy  he  went  into 
the  forest;  but  with  every  stick  he  gathered,  he 
also  gathered  a  doubt  of  his  father's  wisdom. 

"How  can  it  be  wrong  to  wish  to  know  what 
lies  in  that  beautiful  beyond?" 


8  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

He  gathered  another  stick  or  two,  and  idly 
twirling  them  in  his  hand,  he  murmured,  "My 
father  says  it  is  a  sin  to  pry  into  that  which  is 
hidden;  perhaps  it  is  not  hidden,  but  just  lies 
there  waiting  to  be  admired,  as  did  our  beauti 
ful  Norway,  long,  long  ago." 

He  piled  the  sticks  in  a  little  heap,  and  sat  be 
side  them,  idly  throwing  pebbles  at  a  little  bird 
which  sat  on  a  branch,  and  mocked  his  restless 
ness  with  happy  song. 

"I  wish  that  I  could  know  what  lies  beyond 
my  sight.  The  sky  has  stooped  down  to  meet 
the  waves,  and  they  are  so  glad  that  they  leap 
and  dimple  in  the  sunlight.  Oh,  it  must  be 
very  beautiful  in  that  far  country!  Why  must 
the  longing  for  all  things  beautiful  be  a  sin? 
It  is  no  sin  to  work,  to  pick  up  fagots  to  make 
the  pot  boil,  but  I  do  not  like  to  do  this!  My 
father  says  it  is  a  sin  to  sit  on  the  crags,  and 
look  across  the  sea,  and  wish  and  wish  that  I 
were  a  bird,  so  that  I  could  tiy ;  but  I  love  to  do 
that.  I  wonder  why  the  sinful  cannot  be  ugly, 
and  those  things  which  are  right  be  beautiful 
and  nice  to  do!" 

Thus  the  battle  went  on  in  this  mind,  thirsty 
for  knowledge;  a  battle  as  old  as  man  himself, 
with  his  ignorance,  and  the  prejudice  of  false 
teaching. 

One  day  Nordhung  climbed  the  boldest  of  the 
crags  overlooking  Tana  Fiord,  and  gazed  long 
and  wistfully  over  the  many  islands  which  lay 
along  the  coast. 

A  stately  ship  sailed  out  of  Sylte  Fiord,  and 
made  its  way  around  the  headland  to  the  open 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  9 

sea.  With  fascinated  gaze  he  watched  it  spread 
its  white  wings;  the  waves  lapped  and  beat  about 
its  prow,  it  kept  on  its  majestic  way  as  though 
scorning  their  childish  gambols.  His  heart 
swelled  with  eager  desire;  if  he  could  but  own 
that  wonderful  ship  and  sail  away  into  the  un 
known!  If  he  could  but  reach  the  home  of  the 
beautiful  Aurora  Borealis  and  search  out  its  mys 
teries  ! 

There  sprang  into  life  in  that  hour  the  firm 
resolve  that  some  day  he  would  know — that  some 
day  he  would  stand  on  the  deck  of  a  beautiful 
ship  of  his  own,  and  proudly  sail  away  into  the 
pale  glory  of  those  northern  skies,  and  discover 
the  wonderful  things  lying  beyond  those  opaline 
tints.  Then  the  mist  creeping  up  from  the  sea 
began  to  envelop  him,  and  he  cried  aloud,  think 
ing  it  a  spirit  sent  to  punish  him  for  the  sinful- 
ness  of  his  desires,  and  he  ran  home  as  fast  as 
his  legs  could  carry  him. 


Fifteen  years  later  Neiharden  Nordjansen, 
father  of  Nordhung  Nordjanseu,  died  and  was 
buried  in  the  little  churchyard;  he  was  born,  he 
breathed,  he  ate,  he  slept,  he  died  and  was 
buried  with  his  ancestors;  what. more  could  man 
desire?  Before  the  tears  were  dried  upon  his 
cheeks  Nordhung  remembered  that  he  was  free, 
and  his  heart  throbbed  with  impatience.  Three 
years  more  passed  by ;  he  stood  upon  the  deck  of 
an  outgoing  ship,  his  shoulders  thrown  back,  his 
head  erect;  proudly  conscious  that  he  was  com 
mander.  He  bawled  arrogantly  to  the  sailors; 


10  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

he  cast  his  eyes  over  the  great  spread  of  canvas, 
set  to  catch  ever  little  flurry  of  wind,  and  lifted 
his  chin  a  trifle  higher. 

"Commander  Nordjansen!"  he  murmured  de 
lightedly. 

Away  to  the  north-northeast  he  sailed. 
Threading  his  way  carefully  past  the  man}'  rocky 
islands,  he  entered  the  frozen  sea ;  ever  in  danger, 
trembling  at  the  near  approach  of  icebergs,  or 
crouching  awe-stricken  in  the  shadow  of  their 
immensity,  yet  never  did  Nordhung  forget  that 
he  was  "Commander  Nordjansen." 

After  long,  weary  months  of  sailing,  when 
provisions  ran  low,  when  cold  and  hunger  had 
pinched  the  sailors  sorely,  they  openly  grumbled 
at  Nordjansen's  rule;  they  wearied  for  home, 
for  wives  and  sweethearts. 

"Why  seek  further?"  cried  one;  "we  are 
already  too  far  from  home!" 

""What  do  we  seek?"  said  another  bitterly. 

"A  fool's  desire!  The  commander's  Jack-o- 
lantern!"  answered  a  third  derisively. 

But  though  they  grumbled  and  cast  many 
black  looks,  the  tones  were  low  and  they  ^vere 
careful  that  the}'  spoke  behind  his  back. 

Nordjansen  paced  his  deck  with  fierce  impa 
tience;  he  strained  his  eyes  for  indication  of  that 
which  he  sought — the  North  Pole.  The  beauti 
ful  Aurora  Borealis  lighted  his  way  with  stream 
ing  flames  of  red,  that  quivered  into  golden 
glory,  or  faded  into  palest  silver — only  to  flame, 
and  shoot,  and  dart  across  the  heavens  again  like 
fantastic,  serpent  tongues;  he  approached  the 
beautiful  wonder — it  seemed  to  him  not  one  jot 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  11 

nearer  than  in  the  beginning  of  his  journey.  His 
heart  lay  heavy  within  him. 

He  surprised  the  fierce,  scowling  glances  of  his 
sailors,  as  by  twos  and  threes  they  grumbled 
together.  He  sternly  ordered  them  about  their 
business;  they  grumbled  still  more  as  they 
obeyed. 

His  heart  sank  with  dread;  the  chill  wind 
blew  through  the  frozen  cordage,  and  whistling 
shrilly,  mocked  the  lure  of  his  lifetime.  Was 
all  his  effort  to  end  in  failure;  were  all  his  hopes 
and  lofty  ambitions  to  yield  no  fruition  ?  Was  he 
never — never  to  fathom  the  secret  of  the  Un 
known  and  the  Wonderful? 

For  hours  he  paced  the  deck ;  true,  at  his  com 
mand  the  sailors  had  slunk  away,  but  with 
scowls  of  bitter  hate;  each  heart  filled  with 
wrath  and  grievous  longing.  Habit  of  obedi 
ence  is  strong,  and  Nordjansen  was  commander, 
as  he  was  careful  that  they  should  remember. 

In  his  pacing  to  and  fro  he  passed  the  com 
pass;  he  paused  in  astonishment,  the  needle  was 
vibrating  strangely,  and  he  became  conscious 
that  the  vessel  was  no  longer  going  steadily  on 
her  course — although  the  water  appeared  smooth 
— but  was  pitching  in  short,  sudden  lurches; 
now  slightly  to  the  right,  then  to  the  left;  quiv 
ering — quivering — like  some  frightened  living 
thing. 

Strange  thrills  ran  through  his  body;  a  ter- 
ble  fear  shook  him. 

The  flames  of  the  Aurora  seemed  to  hang 
directly  over  the  ship,  and  to  be  of  a  fiery  hue, 
anon  changing  to  all  the  prismatic  colors  of  the 


12  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

rainbow,  so  brilliant  as  to  frighten  him ;  a  thou 
sand  fiery  tongues  seemed  to  lick  at  the  reeling 
ship,  as  though  to  devour  her,  and  all  contained 
therein.  He  covered  his  eyes  with  his  shaking 
hands  to  shade  his  tortured  eyeballs  from  their 
satanic  gambolings. 

One  by  one  the  terrified  sailors  crept  on  deck 
and  huddled  together,  talking  in  awed  whispers, 
or  crouched  around  the  mast  in  abject  fear.  At 
last  three,  more  bold — or  more  desperate — than 
the  others,  walked  up  to  Nordjansen ;  one,  a 
grizzled  old  fellow,  pulled  his  tangled  forelock 
awkwardly. 

"What  do  you  wish?"  asked  Nordjansen 
sternly. 

"If  you  please,  sir,  me  and  my  mates  wants  to 
know  if  so  be  as  you'll  turn  back.  We've  naught 
to  eat,  and  it's  sore  goin'  without  feed,  when 
it's  growin'  cold — c-o-l-d-e-r  e-v-e-r-y  m-i-n- 
u-t-e, "  his  teeth  chattering  so  that  he  could 
scarcely  speak. 

"Go  below!  You  cowards!"  shouted  Nordjan 
sen  fiercely.  "Cold!  You  are  frightened!  No 
wonder  your  teeth  chatter  like  the  boughs  of  the 
trees  in  the  winter  wind!"  he  shrieked,  hoarse 
with  rage.  They  crept  away,  more  affrighted  of 
his  wrath  than  of  the  cold  or  the  fiery  phenom 
enon  over  their  heads. 

Nordjansen  drew  himself  up  proudly: 

"Let  them  not  presume  to  dictate  to  me;  7am 
the  commander!  But  it  is  c-o-l-d;  y-e-s, 
c-o-l-d;"  his  lips  trembled,  and  his  teeth  chat 
tered  so  that  his  speech  halted. 

The  strange  thrills  increased  in  force,  and 
shot  through  him  in  more  rapid  succession. 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  13 

A  wind  had  arisen,  -which  each  moment  in 
creased  in  velocity.  Of  a  sudden  the  ship 
lurched  wildly,  then  spun  half  around,  and  with 
an  awful  thud  the  iron  sheathing  of  her  bow  ad 
hered  to  the  North  Pole,  as  the  cambric  needle 
is  attached  to  the  magnet  with  which  children 
plaj'.  One  glimpse  of  icebergs  so  awful,  so  ter 
rible  in  their  magnitude;  higher  than  the  high 
est  peaks  of  the  Himalayas,  numerous  beyond 
computing;  each  one  a  perfect  prism,  lighted 
into  a  blinding  radiance  of  color  by  the  mid 
night  sun.  Nordjansen  knew  that  he  had  found 
the  home  of  the  Aurora  Borealis.  He  had  scant 
time  to  notice  these  wonders;  all  that  he  saw  in 
that  fleeting  glance  made  a  horrible  impression 
upon  his  awe-struck  mind,  yet  no  one  thought 
was  distinct  or  clearly  defined — one  awful  throe 
of  fear  possessed  him. 

The  wind  had  increased  to  a  shrieking  gale, 
and  although  the  force  of  magnetism  held  the 
vessel  sealed  to  the  pole,  it  quivered,  groaned, 
and  strained  for  release  like  a  living  thing. 

Nordjanseu's  knees  trembled;  he  turned  his 
terror-stricken  gaze  away  from  the  awful  illu 
mination — the  dizzy  commingling  of  rays  of  every 
hue — from  the  vast,  unnumbered  prisms  of  ice; 
his  eyeballs  ached  with  the  glare;  which, 
though  so  brilliant,  was  permeated  with  a  chill 
more  terrible  than  the  rigor  of  death. 

As  in  affright  he  turned  his  eyes  away  it  was 
but  to  encounter  another  horror;  before  him  lay 
a  cavernous  entrance,  glooming  downward  and 
forward,  into  the  very  bowels  of  the  earth ;  he 
loosed  his  hold  upon  the  mast — to  which  he  had 


14  FLOATING   FANCIES. 

been  clinging  for  support — to  wipe  the  cold  drops 
of  perspiration  from  his  brow,  brought  there  by 
terror.  He  wished  his  sailors  were  on  deck  that 
he  might  hear  the  sound  of  a  human  voice.  He 
wished — he  wished  that  he  had  been  less  harsh. 
When  all  is  well  we  are  filled  with  self-suf 
ficiency,  but  when  adversity  comes  upon  us  we 
crave  human  sympathy  as  much  as  does  the  little 
child  who  holds  up  a  hurt  hand  for  mother's 
healing  kiss. 

He  had  no  sooner  loosed  his  hold  upon  the 
mast  than  the  strong  wind  lifted  him  bodily, 
and  carried  him — feet  foremost — into  the  terrors 
of  the  abyss  which  swallowed  him  up  in  dark 
ness.  He  had  no  time  for  thought  as  he  was 
borne  rapidly  forward  ;  swept  along  as  a  feather 
is  borne  on  the  autumn  gale ;  he  lay  on  his  back, 
as  the  swimmer  floats  on  the  water,  his  arms 
pressed  closely  to  his  sides,  his  feet  held  stiffly 
together.  The  strange  incongruous  thought 
occurred  to  him :  "This  is  the  position  in  which 
I  shall  be  placed  when  I  am  dead ;  my  feet  will 
lie  thus,  side  by  side;  my  hands  should  be 
crossed  upon  my  breast — "  he  tried  to  raise  his 
hands  and  so  place  them,  but  found  that  he  had 
no  power  to  stir  them.  "I  wonder  if  I  am  dead! 
Is  this  the  dread  change?  He  laughed  whimsi 
cally,  for  at  this  instant  the  strong  wind,  sweep 
ing  his  hair  backward,  made  his  head  itch ;  that 
was  no  post-mortem  sensation. 

A  strange  rumbling  noise  greeted  his  ears; 
the  clank  of  ponderous  machinery,  the  whirr  of 
enormous  belts,  as  the  earth  turned  on  her  axis. 
The  wind,  which  had  been  bitterly  cold,  grew 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  15 

gradually  warmer;  a  strange,  dreamy  lassitude 
stole  over  him,  a  wavy,  half-light  helped  to 
soothe  his  senses. 

On — on,  he  floated;  how  long  he  knew  not; 
days — weeks — he  had  no  idea  as  to  time.  A 
desperate  hunger  assailed  him ;  he  fancied  that 
trees  loaded  with  luscious  fruits  mocked  him  as 
he  was  swept  by;  odors  strange  but  delightful 
seemed  to  fill  his  whole  being  with  longing;  his 
mouth  dripped  with  moisture.  Oh,  how  dread 
ful  the  onward  sweeping!  Would  it  never  end? 

All  sound  had  died  away — I  should  say — had 
been  left  behind;  no  more  creaking  and  groaning 
of  the  horribly  ponderous  machinery;  but  a 
silence  still  more  horrible  reigned.  We  have 
little  realization  of  what  perfect  silence  would 
be.  Our  world  is  one  vast  hubbub.  Who  ever 
knew  the  day  or  night,  the  time  or  place,  that 
we  did  not  hear  the  rush  of  the  wind  among  the 
treetops;  the  calls  of  birds;  the  lowing  of 
cattle;  the  bark  of  a  dog,  or  the  blow  of  an  ax; 
perhaps  the  crack  of  a  whip?  Noise,  noise  every 
where,  and  at  all  times.  Were  perfect  silence 
to  reign  for  one  hour,  the  tones  of  the  human 
voice  would  strike  upon  the  ear  with  the  force 
of  a  blow. 

Nordhung  must  have  swooned ;  how  long  he 
remained  in  this  unconscious  state  he  had  no 
means  of  knowing;  indeed,  he  felt  that  here  time 
was  not.  As  his  faculties  once  more  became  ac 
tive,  he  noticed,  first,  that  he  was  being  carried 
forward  much  more  slowly;  secondly,  that  in 
stead  of  going  straight  ahead,  he  was  describing 
an  immense  circle,  with  an  occasional  sharp 


16  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

turn.  He  also  observed  that  the  wavering  light 
had  increased  to  a  steady  white  glow,  a  brilliancy 
almost  blindling  to  his  unaccustomed  eyes;  faint 
sounds  came  to  him  from  time  to  time,  not  like 
the  ponderous  noises  which  had  affrighted 
him,  but  human  sounds — laughter — a  child's 
cry — but  with  something  strange  in  the  tone. 
His  heart  swelled  rapturously!  Was  he  nearing 
the  earth's  surface  again?  Oh,  that  he  might 
once  more  sit  on  the  crags  of  Norway,  and  look 
upon  his  beautiful  land! 

We  are  prone  to  consider  that  most  beautiful 
which  we  looked  upon  while  the  heart  was 
young;  then,  all  the  world  was  fair,  and  we 
loved  much. 

When  disappointments  have  come  to  us,  and 
hope  has  grown  jaded,  we  look  back,  even  upon 
a  rocky  desolation,  and  say  in  all  sincerity, 
"How  beautiful  it  was,"  not  knowing  that  it 
was  but  our  hearts'  hopes  that  were  beautiful. 
Alas,  that  were! 

Nordhung  sadly  thought:  "My  father  was 
right,  and  I  am  well  punished  for  prying  into  the 
unknown." 

Sounds  became  more  distinctly  audible;  the 
wind  had  fallen  to  a  gentle  breeze,  and  he  felt 
himself  settling,  settling  as  you  have  seen  a 
balloon  descend  as  the  gas  gradually  escaped. 

Gently  he  floated  into  the  midst  of  an  excited 
group,  who  scatttered  with  cries  of  fear  and 
wonder.  Strange  sounds  issued  from  these 
strange  beings;  tones  of  dismay,  and  astonish 
ment,  in  which  no  one  voice  differed  from  an 
other;  a  thin  sound,  lacking  timbre;  as  the  wind 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  17 

blows  with  the  angry  force  of  the  storm,  or  gen 
tly  sighs  of  a  placid  summer  day — so  these 
voices  were  in  anger  high  and  shrill,  in  joy 
softly  reaching  the  consciousness.  Their  bodies 
— if  that  could  be  called  a  body  which  possessed 
no  substance — were  as  strange  as  their  voices, 
being  but  a  vapor  surrounding  the  soul — the 
shadow  of  a  form;  each  emotion,  thought  or  im 
pulse  was  therefore  plainly  discernible.  Of 
speech  there  was  no  need,  consequently  there 
Was  none;  all  sound  emitted  was  but  that  of 
Spontaneity;  laughter,  cries  of  wonder,  horror, 
Ind  the  like. 

The  shriek  of  amazement  that  greeted  his 
tars;  the  strange  appearance  of  the  people;  the 
iveird  surroundings  so  impressed  Nordjansen 
that  little,  cold  shivers  chased  each  other  down 
his  spine.  He  saw  their  thought,  their  wonder 
and  fear;  as  I  have  said,  there  was  no  need  of 
language;  each  spirit  saw,  and  perfectly  com 
prehended  the  thought  of  the  other;  it  was  cause 
of  amazement  to  these  people  that  they  could 
not  see  his  thought — the  working  of  his  mind; 
this  wonderful  fact — much  more  than  the  mode 
of  his  advent,  or  of  his  presence — dominated 
each  intelligence. 

He  raised  upon  his  elbow,  and  watched  their 
growing  awe;  presently,  he  saw  this  thought 
leap  into  one  mind:  It  is  a  God!"  Instantly 
half  a  dozen  minds  followed  suit,  the  spark  igni 
ting  the  tinder  as  readily  in  these  strange  intel 
ligences,  as  it  does  among  us.  He  watched  with 
fascinated  curiosity  the  skepticism,  the  doubt, 


18  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

the  hesitation,  changing  to  a  slow  growth  of  be 
lief  in  the  various  understandings. 

Above  all  his  wonder,  above  all  his  curiosity — 
a  minimum  of  awe,  and  much  gratified  vanity — 
one  fact  made  itself  felt;  he  was  hungry,  and  he 
said  so. 

The  panic  was  terrible!  A  multitudinous 
shriek  answered  him;  no  variation  in  sound,  no 
distinction  of  voices — a  single,  horrible  note  of 
fear — and  they  flitted  away — I  cannot  say  walk, 
or  run — for  how  can  a  vapor  do  either? — they 
floated  away  in  affright. 

He,  seeing  their  dismayed  thought,  laughed; 
he  arose  to  his  feet,  stretched  his  muscles;  it 
seemed  enjoyable  to  stand  upright  once  more 
after  lying  inert  for  so  long  a  time. 

As  he  moved  about  another  shriek  arose;  the 
sound  held  an  element  of  the  horrible  in  that  one 
level,  unvarying  tone,  and  sent  a  fresh  shiver 
adown  his  spine.  Soon,  however,  curiosity  over 
came  their  fear,  and  one  by  one  they  timidly 
floated  toward  him;  one,  more  courageous  than 
the  rest,  came  so  close  that  the  vapory  body 
half-encircled  him ;  a  wonderfully  pleasant  sen 
sation  went  through  all  his  being;  a  moist 
warmth,  which  conveyed  a  sense  of  fellowship — 
a  kinship  of  soul,  pure  and  delightful. 

One  after  another  gained  courage,  and  ap 
proached,  until  he  was  completely  enveloped  in 
the  living  mist.  He  saw  the  growing  worship 
in  every  mind  ;  that  adoration  of  the  mysterious, 
which  ofttimes  serves  for  a  worship  of  the 
divine. 

"It  is  well,"  thought  Nordjansen/'Nordhung, 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  19 

people  always  look  up  to  you ;  these  people  rec 
ognize  your  superiority!" 

Notwithstanding  his  satisfaction,  and  self- 
laudation,  he  did  not  forget  that  he  was  very 
hungry;  he  opened  his  mouth  and  pointed 
down  his  throat,  and  used  his  jaws  as  though 
masticulating;  only  bewilderment  greeted  his 
most  eloquent  pantomime.  How  could  they  un 
derstand?  Being  without  body  or  substance 
they  needed  no  food  except  that  which  entered 
each  vapory  environment  by  absorption.  Then 
occurred  a  strange  thing  to  Nordjansen ;  he  cried 
out  in  anguish:  "My  God!  Must  I  starve?" 

He  sighed;  a  long,  deep  inspiration,  and  was 
instantly  conscious  of  a  delicious  sweetness  in 
his  mouth,  a  taste  like  a  strange,  but  most  lus 
cious  fruit.  He  repeated  the  indrawing  process 
until  he  felt  perfectly  satisfied,  without  the  un 
pleasantness  which  repletion  gives. 

He  wandered  around  a  space  which  seemed  in 
closed,  to  which  he  could  find  no  limit;  he  had 
no  conception  of  distance,  perspective  was  lost 
in  a  bewildering  unrealitj'  of  all  surroundings; 
for  instance,  Nordhung  thought  that  he  beheld 
a  most  beautiful  tree,  he  desired  a  nearer  view; 
he  wandered  on  and  on  until  exhausted  before  he 
realized  that  here,  space,  like  time,  had  no  known 
law;  such  being  the  case,  if  course,  Nordjansen 
had  no  means  of  knowing  how  long  he  dwelt  in 
this  strange  place. 

All  these  fantastic  beings,  with  one  exception, 
worshiped  him  as  a  God  sent  among  them  for 
some  great,  but  unknown  purpose;  he,  seeing 
their  awe  and  worship,  took  pains  to  foster  and 


20  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

increase  it.  To  himself  he  said:  "Nordhung, 
you  are  indeed  great;  these  beings  know  it;  they 
are  fine  creatures!"  He  lifted  his  shoulders  a 
trifle  more,  and  endeavored  to  assume  a  godlike 
tread. 

The  one  exception  of  which  I  have  spoken  was 
a  female ;  she  worshiped  him  as  a  woman  often 
does,  when  she  should  but  love.  She  hovered 
around  him  by  night  and  by  day,  she  enveloped 
him,  she  would  have  permeated  him ;  she  watched 
his  every  act,  she  hung  upon,  and  learned  to  in 
terpret  his  looks;  she  suited  herself  to  his 
moods,  and  her  thoughts  to  his  desires  as  nearly 
as  she  could  divine  them;  in  fact,  she  would 
have  thought  his  thoughts  could  she  have  seen 
them  as  he  saw  hers. 

He  learned  many  things  which  to  him  were 
very  strange;  he  found  the  source  of  the  illumina 
tion  of  this  place,  a  light  that  shone  with  steady 
radiance;  not  as  our  sun  shines  for  a  few  hours 
which  we  call  day,  and  kindly  gives  place  to  the 
darkness  of  night,  that  many  may  rest  from  toil, 
and  a  few  may  sneak  into  evil  under  cover  of 
its  shadow.  The  two  poles,  one  entering  from 
the  north,  the  other  from  the  south,  here  formed 
a  positive  and  a  negative;  which,  with  the  power 
engendered  as  the  world  turns  on  her  axis,  was 
made  to  produce  an  electric  light  of  wonderful 
brilliancy.  He  also  learned  to  communicate  his 
desires  to  these  beings  with  whom  he  mingled. 
Their  amazement  at  his  flesh,  bone,  sinews,  hid 
den  mind,  in  fact,  his  entire  personality  grew 
continually;  they  could  not  understand  how  such 
a  condition  could  exist;  he  was  to  them  a 
miracle,  consequently  to  be  worshiped. 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  $1 

Nordjansen  grew  to  admire  these  souls,  so  per 
fectly  pure;  so  free  from  all  deceit,  and  truthful 
perforce;  loving  and  faithful,  as  no  taint  of  evil 
could  find,  lodgment  in  their  transparent  minds. 

Pure  and  sweet  as  they  were,  his  heart  at  times 
grew  sick  for  his  own  kind,  and  instead  of  tLe 
faint,  moist,  languorous  atmosphere,  with  never  a 
disturbing  storm,  he  longed  for  the  rocky  prom 
ontories  of  his  Norway;  the  reverberation  of  the 
rolling  thunder  among  the  hills,  and  the  wild 
lashing  of  the  sea  on  the  rocky  base  of  the  cliffs. 
Sometimes  he  dreamed — half-awake,  half-asleep 
— that  the  briny  spray  was  dashing  in  his  face, 
and  thought  that  he  could  taste  the  pungent 
savor  of  the  salt,  and  awoke  to  find  the  tears 
trickling  down  his  cheek,  moistening  his  tongue. 
His  heart  grew  faint  unto  sickness  for  the  light 
of  the  sun,  and  the  shifting  shadows  of  the 
clouds  on  the  distant  hills,  where  the  grass  grew 
likt  n  flower-decked  carpet,  and  the  white  sheep 
bleated  lovingly  to  one  another.  And  oh!  for  u 
sight  of  the  stately,  white-robed  ships  as  they 
sailed  away  into  the  unknown  which  he  now  de 
plored.  He  numbedly  wondered  what  had  be 
come  of  his  good  ship,  Nord  Rhyn. 

Alas,  that  he  had  not  been  content  with  his 
father's  land,  and  his  father's  homely  ways! 

He  grew  unutterably  weary  of  the  unreality 
of  all  things  surrounding  him,  he  longed  for  the 
interchange  of  day  and  night;  he  longed  for 
food — actual  food — with  a  throe  of  maddening 
pain,  so  keen  was  his  desire;  he  longed  for  crea 
tures  of  flesh  and  blood,  with  their  inborn  pre 
dilection  for  evil , which  gave  the  doing  of  right 


22  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

things  so  much  sweeter  flavor.  He  wearied  of 
the  love  of  the  She  which  so  completely  enveloped 
him,  as  men  ever  tire  of  that  which  is  so  wholb' 
their  own  that  they  cannot  for  one  fascinating 
hour  escape  it ;  it  is  worse  than  a  diet  of  sweets, 
although  the  effect  is  the  same,  a  nauseated  sur 
feit. 

She,  poor  soul!  She  learned  to  dread  his 
scowling  brow,  his  harsh  tone;  to  shrink  and 
tremble  in  wild  affright  whenever  he  ordered  her 
away;  she  sought  ever  to  win  a  more  kindly  re 
gard  by  added  devotion,  by  hanging  more  fondly 
and  constantly  about  him.  After  all  she  differed 
not  so  greatly  from  her  sisters  on  the  face  of  the 
earth.  He  grew  more  intolerant  of  her  presence, 
and  violently  ordered  her  to  leave  him ;  he  noted 
her  agony  of  fear,  her  deathless  devotion,  and 
her  hopeless  pain  with  indifference,  as  with  a 
cry  of  despair  she  turned  awaj'. 

He  seized  the  opportunity  and  fled,  whither  he 
knew  not;  he  could  but  die,  which  meant  sur 
cease  from  all  the  wild  longings  that  so  beset 
him.  On,  ever  onward!  How  far!  How  long! 
Oh,  it  was  terror  not  to  know — to  have  no  account 
of  time — no  knowledge  of  distance;  it  was  like 
sailing  a  ship  through  eternal  void,  no  landmarks 
— no  limit — just  on,  and  on — so  far  as  he  had 
knowledge  of  it. 

Ah !  A  change  came  over  him.  The  spirit  of 
the  explorer  stirred  once  more  within  him.  Ho 
felt  that  he  was  once  again  describing  an  im 
mense  circle,  as  had  been  his  experience  upon 
entering ;  he  felt  that  there  was  a  reason  for  this, 
and  his  mind  became  busy  trying  to  solve  the 
problem. 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  23 

"There  is  some  purpose  in  this;  come  to  think 
of  it,  there  is  a  purpose  in  most  things,  and  I 
shall  arrive  at  an  understanding  of  this  one," 
he  murmured  complacently. 

His  surroundings  were  visibly  changing,  dis 
tance  seemed  tangible,  all  things  more  real.  A 
strange  awesome  stillness  had  fallen  around  him 
like  a  mantle  of  dread,  and  every  instant  seemed 
to  deepen  its  intensity;  the  air,  from  being 
languorously  balmy,  had  grown  chill,  and  a 
strong  current  hurried  him  forward. 

His  perplexed  mind  began  to  grasp  the  solu 
tion  which  had  evaded  him;  were  it  not  for  these 
many  turnings,  and  the  immensity  of  the  circle, 
the  cold  draught  from  Pole  to  Pole  would  sweep 
through  with  all  the  devastating  force  of  a 
cyclone.  He  stopped  and  straightened  himself, 
bringing  his  hands  together  with  a  resounding 
thwack:  "To  be  sure!  Why,  of  course!  Nord- 
hung,  I  thought  you  would  master  the  problem ; 
there  is  very  little  that  baffles  you!"  he  cried 
approvingly. 

His  voice  sounded  hoirible;  it  echoed,  and  re 
echoed  like  the  laughter  of  a  thousand  demons; 
in  wild  affright  he  started  to  run,  but  stumbled 
and  fell;  a  groan  was  wrung  from  his  lips  as  be 
tried  to  rise;  he  thought  he  heard  a  soft  sigh, 
and  a  moist,  warm  vapor  swept  his  bruised  cheek 
like  a  tender,  clinging  kiss.  He  stumbled  to  his 
feet  regardless  of  his  wounds,  and  screamed  out, 
as  he  struck  furiously  into  the  darkness:  "Go 
back;  go  to  your  own  kind;  I  hate  you  !"  he 
screamed,  crazed  with  rage  and  his  fear  of  re 
straint,  and  as  he  was — as  purely  animal  fear 


£4  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

ever  is — brutal.  A  single,  sad  note  answered 
him ;  sad  as  the  wail  of  the  autumn  wind  when 
the  last  leaf  floats  down  to  earth ;  sad  as  the  cry 
of  the  Soul  which — seeing  Heaven's  wide  open 
gate — must  still  pass  by  on  the  other  side;  as 
sad — oh,  saddest  of  all,  as  when  all  love's  hopes 
lie  slain  by  one's  best  beloved.  Adieu!  adieu! 

His  hand  was  again  lifted  to  strike,  and — 
"Ah!"  he  caught  his  breath  in  a  sharp  gaap;  a 
gust  of  wind  lifted  him  off  his  feet,  precisely  as 
in  entering,  forcing  his  hands  close  to  his  sides, 
feet  pressed  together — toes  up — like  the  feet  of 
the  dead.  Swift,  swifter  he  sped;  all  thought,  all 
feeling  lost  in  that  mad  rush;  a  vague  con 
sciousness  alone  remained  to  him.  It  seemed 
that  for  ages  he  was  borne  along,  then  into  his 
dim  consciousness  entered  the  same  rumbling 
gounds;  heavy,  jarring,  indistinguishable  noises; 
cold,  colder  grew  the  atmosphere,  the  wind 
pierced  to  the  marrow  of  his  bones;  his  very 
vitals  seemed  freezing.  Happily  he  lost  con 
sciousness. 

For  many  days  a  wild  storm  swept  the  far 
southern  sea,  and  a  half-dozen  sailors,  with  their 
small  boat,  were  thrown  upon  a  rocky  point 
which  was  continually  lashed  by  the  icy  waves; 
there  they  found  a  gaunt,  white-haired  old  man, 
who  sobbed  at  sight  of  them.  When,  after 
weeks  of  suffering  from  cold  and  hunger,  they 
again  put  to  sea  in  their  small  boat,  they  took 
the  old  man  with  them. 

After  many  days  of  suffering — days  which 
were  like  a  horrible  dream  of  cloudless  sky  and 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  25 

lapping  water,  with  never  a  drop  to  quench  their 
thirst ;  a  of  ball  of  fire  by  day,  which  yet  gave  no 
grateful  warmth,  and  a  maddening  calm  of 
moon  at  night;  a  nightmare  of  wandering 
thoughts,  and  gibbering  tongues,  amid  which 
the  face  of  Nordjansen  looked  like  a  fabled  Gor 
gon,  with  eyes  of  restless  fire — after  many  days 
of  this  inexpressible  horror  they  were  taken  on 
board  a  ship  bound  for  the  East  Indies. 

Nordjansen  had  crouched  down  by  a  coil  of 
rope,  his  long  gray  beard  hung  in  matted  strings, 
his  scant  white  hair  tossed  wildly  in  the  breeze. 
A  seaman,  attending  to  his  duty,  stumbled  over  a 
loose  end  of  the  rope  and  came  near  falling ;  he 
gave  vent  to  an  impatient  exclamation  in  hia 
native  tongue — Norwegian.  No  matter  how 
fluently  one  speaks  a  foreign  language,  in  mo 
ments  of  emotion  the  tongue  falls  naturally  into 
its  national  speech. 

Nordjansen  sprang  to  his  feet,  his  eyes  glow 
ing  wildly ;  his  words  came  tumbling  over  each 
other  in  voluble  incoherency ;  he  clasped  his 
compatriot's  knees  and  kissed  the  hands  that 
would  have  pushed  him  away;  the  fiery  light 
died  out  of  his  eyes,leaving  them  sad  and  pathet 
ic  ;  at  last  the  man  understood,  and  lifting  him 
to  his  feet  said  kindly : 

"Tell  me  what  you  wish?" 

"I  want  to  go  to  my  Norway!  I  wish  for  my 
friends!  I  am  weary  of  strange  lands,  and 
stranger  things!  I  long  for  the  land  of  my  birth, 
and  would  once  more  hear  our  beloved  language 
spoken  by  all ! "  he  poured  forth  volubly. 


26  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

"Yes,  yes!"  answered  his  friend  soothingly, 
as  he  hurried  away. 

Nordjansen's  eyes  followed  him  hungrily,  and 
from  that  time  he  watched  the  leaping  waves  with 
glad  delight  as  he  stood  for  hours  at  the  prow 
of  the  boat. 

"Fly!  Begone!  Away  with  you,  that  the 
more  speedily  I  may  see  my  beloved  land,"  he 
would  cry  with  all  the  happy  abandon  of  child 
hood. 

He  waylaid  Varman,  and  plied  him  with  end 
less  questions  until  the  man  took  every  means  of 
keeping  out  of  his  sight. 

Day  followed  day  in  sickening  monotony, 
until  Nordjansen  laid  his  aching  head  upon  his 
coil  of  rope  and  wept  in  weariness  of  heart. 

"I  shall  never  see  my  land  again;  Varman  is 
deceiving  me.  I  wish  that  I  had  been  less  un 
kind  to  She;  I  should  know  her  thought;  She 
would  not  deceive  me!" 

He  was  so  soon  regretting  that  which  he  had 
cast  side  so  carelessly,  forgetful  that  dead  love 
knows  no  resurrection;  neither  can  the  divine 
passion  be  put  on  or  off  as  easily  as  we  can  re 
consider  our  decison  as  to  cast-off  garments. 

Thus  he  fretted  until  the  hours  were  as  days, 
and  the  days  interminable;  when  they  hailed  a 
passing  ship,  and  he  was  tranferred  to  the  home 
ward-bound  vessel,  and  thus  at  last  he  reached 
the  haven  of  his  desire — Norway. 

As  his  old  feet  tottered  through  the  streets  of 
his  native  place,  all  things  looked  sad  and 
strange;  he  looked  piteously  around,  seeking  a 
familiar  countenance,  and  when  he  found  not 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  2* 

one,  he  hid  his  face  in  his  shaking  hands  and 
•wept  aloud. 

Little  children  hid  in  their  mothers'  gowns, 
and  the  old  people  shook  their  heads  stolidly 
when  he  asked  in  trembling  tones  if  they  knew 
his  old-time  friends,  and  they  replied,  in  accents 
of  wonder: 

"Vie  know  them  not;  we  heard  never  the 
names." 

He  asked  but  one  more  question:  "Did  you 
know  my  beautiful  ship,  the  Nord  Rhyn,  and  her 
goodly  crew?  I  was  her  commander!"  with  a 
sad  attempt  at  his  old  air  of  pride. 

"No,  no!  We  never  heard  of  such  a  ship," 
they  answered  impatiently.  He  sighed  deeply 
and  sadly,  as  he  turned  away,  and  climbed  to 
the  summit  of  the  crags  his  memory  held  so 
dear. 

At  last  he  stood  on  the  rocky  height  and 
looked  around  with  saddened  eyes;  it  seemed  as 
though  the  sun  shone  less  bright,  and  that  the 
hills  had  grown  bald  and  ugly;  and  as  he  looked 
toward  the  north  which  had  so  fascinated  him 
in  the  long  ago,  it  appeared  cold  and  forbidding. 
He  sank  down  forlornly,  and  with  hand  closed 
over  his  dim  eyes  he  watched  ever  the  white- 
clad  ships  sailing  past,  and  eagerly  peered  at 
each  to  learn  her  name. 

"The  Nord  Rhyn  will  soon  come  into  port; 
my  sailors  must  have  heard  of  their  commander's 
return;  they  will  know,  and  welcome  me,"  he 
would  repeat  again  aud  again,  persistently  cling 
ing  to  this  last  hope. 

At  times  when  the  autumn  winds  sighed   he 


28  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

would  start  up  tremulously ;  "It  is  She!  I  hear 
her  voice!  I  wish  that  she  would  come!"  He 
sighed  sorrowfully  for  the  jewel  which  he  had 
thrown  away. 

One  sweet  spring  morn  found  him,  still  with 
that  quietude  which  ends  all  weariness;  he  had 
found  rest  on  the  highest  crag  overlooking  Tana 
Fiord,  on  the  same  spot  where  he  had  sat  and 
•wished  with  restless  heart  in  his  boyhood  days. 
A  sweet  moisture  rested  on  his  cheek,  a 
happy  smile  touched  his  lips  and  the  careworn 
•wrinkles  had  smoothed  away  from  his  brow. 
Perhaps  She  had  known  his  sad  longing,  and 
with  love's  tender  forgiving  had  answered  his 
call  in  that  last  hour;  the  hour  in  which  with 
clearer  vision  and  unselfish  thought  he  stood  on 
the  threshold  of  the  higher  plane. 

"With  kindly  hands  the  simple  people  laid  him 
away,  afraid  to  neglect  or  despise  one  of  "God's 
Children,"  as  they  called  those  of  unbalanced 
mind;  and  as  they  passed  around  the  open 
grave,  each  cast  in  a  flower  and  whispered  pity 
ingly:  "God  receive  the  poor  old  lunatic!" 


FLOATIM;  FANCIES.  29 


IN  THE  BEYOND. 

THE  summer  sun  beat  oppressively  down  upon 
the  heads  of  August  Blair  and  Aimee  Herne,  as 
they  walked  their  horses  slowly  down  the  hilly 
road.  Aimee  took  off  her  hat  and  fanned  her 
heated  face :  "Mercy !  the  lower  regions  can't  be 
much  hotter  than  this!" 

August  laughed  as  he  flicked  at  the  overhang 
ing  branches  of  the  trees  with  his  whip: 
"According  to  all  accounts  there  isn't  very 
much  shade  there." 

"Just  at  present  I  could  imagine  only  a  miti 
gation  of  heat  and  a  perpetual  breeze,  as  fitly 
belonging  to  that  plane  of  existence,"  replied 
Aimee,  in  that  light  tone  which  either  means 
nothing  or  hits  the  truth  without  positive  con 
ception  of  its  being  such. 

"That  speech  embodies  every  person's  idea  of 
heaven,  doesn't  it?  We  wish  most  earnestly  for 
the  condition  we  find  lacking  to  our  comfort  in 
this  world ;  thus,  to-day  a  cool  wind  and  shade 
seem  most  desirable;  next  week  it  might  be 
quite  different " 

"A  fire  for  instance,"  said  Aimee  sarcastically. 

"That  is  another  of  man's  ideas  constructed 
from  the  purely  material,  and  grafted  into  the 
spiritual  tree;  burning  by  fire  is  man's  concep- 


30  FLOATING   FANCIES. 

tion  of  the  worst  possible  torment.  Our  ideas 
of  the  hereafter — and  incidentally  of  heaven — 
are  very  vague  and  uncertain;  no  rnind  can 
build  higher  than  its  purest  ideal, and  our  knowl 
edge  gained  only  from  the  material  world  cannot 
grasp  the  spiritual.  We  speculate  a  little,  and 
take  a  flight  in  this  or  that  direction ;  but  like  a 
bird  at  night — bewildered  by  the  arc  lights  in 
the  street  we  fall  back  to  earth — and  material 
things  for  all  our  types  of  happiness." 

Aimee  threw  up  her  hand  impatiently,  "Oh, 
what  ideas!  I  don't  want  to  talk  about  such 
things;  I  prefer  thinking  how  pleasant  it  is 
under  this  great  old  oak.  Let  us  rest  here, 
August." 

"All  right,"  he  answered  as  he  alighted  and 
assisted  her  from  the  saddle.  They  seated 
themselves  on  a  grassy  knoll  at  the  foot  of  the 
tree,  and  restfully  watched  the  horses  crop  the 
short,  sweet  grass. 

August's  thought  seemed  to  persistently  linger 
on  the  subject  of  the  beyond:  "There  could  be 
nothing  more  heavenly  than  this — were  one's 
mind  but  in  perfect  accord  with  one's  surround 
ings,"  said  he. 

"Which  very  seldom  happens  to  be  the  case," 
answered  Aimee. 

"Our  own  discordant  restlessness  is  all  that 
hinders  this  world  from  actually  being  heaven!" 
replied  he  emphatically. 

"Oh,  nonsense!  This  is  earth,  and  that  is 
good  enough  for  me;  I  do  not  wish  to  think  on 
such  gruesome  subjects;  life  is  so  pleasant. 
Sometime  I  must  prepare  for  eternity,!  suppose; 


FLOATING   FANCIES.  31 

but  I  wish  to  enjoy  myself  now;  it  is  time 
enough  when  I  have  grown  old  to  be  solemn, 
and  give  up  all  pleasures,"  she  half-pouted. 

August  laid  his  head  back  against  the  boll  of 
the  tree  and  laughed  heartily.  "So  you  think 
that  one  must  be  solemn  to  prepare  for  eternity? 
In  the  first  place  we  are  in  eternity  now — the 
present  is  just  as  much  a  part  of  eternity  as  the 
future  state  will  be;  eternity  is  only  an  expres 
sion,  meaning  all  time;  it  always  Avas  and  always 
will  be,  and  it  seems  to  me  that  the  very  best 
way  to  prepare  for  the  future  state  is  to  be  inno 
cently  happy  in  this 

"/think  that  you  are  talking  nonsense — you 
make  me  afraid!" 

"Of  what  are  you  afraid?  Afraid  of  opening 
the  door  to  step  into  the  next  room?  Afraid  to 
go  to  sleep  in  the  evening  of  life,  to  awaken  in 
the  sunlit  morning  of  an  advanced  day?  I'll  tell 
you  what,  Aiinee,  if  I  go  before  you  do — and 
return  is  possible — I  will  come  back  and  tell 
you  what  I  find  in  the  Beyond." 

Aimeo  jumped  up  nervously,  and  walked  away 
without  speaking. 

August  arose  at  the  same  time,  and  leaned 
against  the  trunk  of  the  tree.  "Come  back 
here!"  he  called. 

"No,  indeed!  I  do  not  want  to  hear  that  kind 
of  talk,"  she  replied  irritably. 

The  clouds  had  been  gathering  in  the  west, 
and  once  or  twice  the  thunder  had  growled 
menacingly ;  but  in  the  shelter  of  the  trees  they 
had  not  observed  the  signals  of  the  coming 
storm. 


32  FLOATING   FANCIES. 

A  great  drop  of  rain  struck  Aimee  on  the 
cheek,  causing  her  to  utter  an  exclamation  of 
surprise. 

"Come  here,  Aimee!"  called  August  again, 
holding  out  his  hands,  a  smile  on  his  lips;  her 
petulance  amused  him. 

At  that  instant  a  bolt  of  lightning  shot  from 
the  sky,  blinding  and  bewildering  Aimee;  it  ap 
peared  to  be  at  her  very  feet;  her  scream  of 
affright  was  drowned  by  the  crash  and  reverbera 
tion  of  the  thunder;  she  essayed  to  go  to  August 
for  protection,  but  a  numbness  paralyzed  her 
brain  and  limbs;  the  horses  snorted  wildly,  and 
galloped  away  over  the  road  toward  home. 

In  a  short  time  Aimee  aroused  herself,  and 
called  quaveringly,  "August!  August!"  but 
received  no  reply. 

She  made  an  effort  to  cross  the  road,  but  her 
head  swayed  dizzily  and  her  lin/os  refused  to 
support  her  body ;  a  cloud-like  haze  seemed  to 
float  between  herself  and  August,  where  he  sat 
apparently  leaning  back  easily  against  the  tree. 
A  few  great  drops  of  rain  plashed  down — making 
miniature  globes  in  the  dust  of  the  street — they 
pelted  her  in  the  face  and  served  to  revive  her  a 
little. 

"August!  August!"  she  called  complainingly ; 
still  he  made  no  reply.  She  shaded  her  eyes 
with  her  hand  and  peered  at  him  wonderingly; 
she  thought  the  sunlight  was  dazzling  her  vision, 
everything  appeared  blurred,  distorted  and  out 
of  proportion;  she  petulantly  resented  the  smile 
upon  August's  lips,  she  thought  that  he  derided 
her  fear. 


FLOATING   FANCIES.  33 

"It's  mean  of  you  August!"  she  whimpered  as 
she  giddily  crossed  the  dusty  road,  staggering 
from  side  to  side  as  she  walked. 

The  clouds  had  been  gathering  thick  and  fast, 
and  the  gloom  of  a  late  twilight  prevailed;  the 
heavy  thunder  crashed  and  roared,  following  al 
most  blending  with — the  blinding  flashes  of 
electricity. 

As  she  dropped  at  his  feet  complainingly,  the 
flood  gates  of  heaven  seemed  opened;  she  crept 
to  him,  and  reached  up  her  arms  to  clasp  his 
neck  in  a  childishly  confident  way:  "Oh,  pro 
tect  me,  August!  Do  let  us  seek  shelter!" 

As  her  arms  closed  about  his  nock  his  head 
fell  forward  inertly,  the  body  lurched  over 
heavily,  fell  from  her  weak  arms  and  rolled  over 
sidewise.  The  heavy  rumble  of  the  thunder, 
the  roar  of  the  rain,  the  wild  swaying  of  the 
sodden  branches,  and  the  flapping  of  the  wet 
leaves  drowned  her  frightened  cries. 

"Help!  help!"  she  shrieked  again  and  again; 
at  times  high  and  shrill,  again,  almost  inarticu 
late — scarcely  above  a  hoarse  whisper — as 
clutching  at  his  clothing  she  frantically  tried  to 
lift  him  and  hold  him  erect. 

"Oh,  August,  my  darling,  what  ails  you? 
Speak  to  me!  Speak  to  me!"  she  cried  wildly. 

A  half-dozen  men  came  dashing  down  the 
hill;  they  had  spoken  with  August  and  Aimee  as 
they  passed  on  their  way;  then  when  the  storm 
was  at  its  height,  seeing  the  horses  galloping  by 
riderless,  they  knew  that  some  accident  must 
have  befallen  them. 


34  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

Aimee  saw  them  coming,  and  redoubled  her 
cries. 

"What  is  the  matter?"  "Are  you  hurt?" 
"Were  you  thrown  from  your  horses?"  It  was 
a  babel  of  sounds;  a  confusion  of  questions. 

"I  do  not  know!  Oh,  it  is  August!"  answered 
Aimee  incohercntljr. 

"Stand  back,"  said  one  who  had  been  stoop 
ing  over  August.  Continuing  in  alow  tone,  "He 
is  dead,  struck  by  lightning." 

"No!  no!  no!"  shrieked  Aimee  shrilly:  "He 
was  speaking  but  an  instant  ago;  can't  j7ou  see 
that  he  is  not  dead!  Why,  he  is  smiling!" 

She  clasped  him  more  closely  in  her  arms,  and 
rocked  herself  back  and  forth  as  a  mother  soothes 
her  child.  Gently  they  loosed  her  hold,  and 
through  the  sobbing  trees  bore  their  dripping 
burden  to  the  nearest  farmhouse,  soothing 
Aimee's  frantic  grief  with  sympathetic  words. 

August  had  been  so  amused  at  Aimee's  petu 
lance  and  childish  fear  that  he  had  reached  out 
his  hands  to  call  her  to  him  as  he  would  have 
called  a  wayward  child;  in  this  attitude  the  de 
scending  bolt  struck  him.  fie  experienced  for 
one  brief  instant  the  shock  and  sense  of  earthly 
pain,  followed  immediately  by  a  feeling  of  light 
ness  and  freedom — which  none  but  children  ex 
perience  in  the  physical  body,  and  they  but  sel 
dom — glad  to  be,  glorying  in  existence — which, 
instead  of  being  lost  through  the  change, 
had  become  intensified  and  augmented.  It 
seemed  that  a  film  had  been  swept  from  his 
sight;  all  things  were  clearer  and  larger;  and 
things  which  had  appeared  enveloped  in  mystery 


FLOATING   FANCIES.  35 

— difficult  to  understand — stood  out  plain  and 
simple,  like  the  white  letters  upon  a  blackboard. 

His  spirit,  freed  from  earthly  aches  and  pains, 
from  the  uncomfortable  sense  of  incumbrance, 
rose  like  a  bird  on  the  wing;  his  first  sense  of 
bewilderment — caused  by  his  rapid  transit 
through  space — gave  place  to  an  exalted  delight 
as  he  beheld  the  wonderful  panorama  spread  out 
before  him — waves  of  silvery  hue,  tinged  with 
violet  shades — exactly  proportioned  one  with 
another — like  a  softly  lapping,  irridescent  sea; 
long,  low  slopes  clothed  in  the  same  subdued 
color  swept  by  him ;  he  grew  weary  of  the  same 
ness,  and  wished  that  he  might  catch  a  glimpse 
of  the  mountains  which  should  lie  beyond  those 
hills;  their  deep  shadows  and  high  lights  would 
be  a  restful  change.  Even  as  the  discontent  swept 
over  him  he  plunged  into  a  gulf  of  shadows — 
shadows  filled  with  silent  voices — desire  made 
manifest  without  sound  or  motion— the  spiritual 
understanding  of  the  purely  spiritual. 

The  multitudinous  shadows  were  on  every 
side;  pressing  on  the  right,  crowding  on  the 
left;  before  him  and  in  the  rear;  close,  closer — 
urging  for  companionship;  shrieking  for  guid 
ance  through  the  gulf  of  the  vast  Unknown ; 
through  the  trackless  No  Land  which  lies  be 
tween  the  material  and  the  spiritual  world.  He 
felt  their  silent  despairing  cry,  that  they  were 
lost  in  this  horrible  void;  they  clutched  at  him 
as  he  swept  past  them,  and  although  there  was 
no  sound  all  this  reached  his  spiritual  conscious 
ness  like  the  roar  of  the  tempest,  or  the  tumult 


36  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

and  crash  of  falling  worlds,  so  magnified  was  his 
understanding  of  all  things. 

The  commotion  horrified  him;  instincts  of  the 
plane  of  life  now  left  behind  prompted  resent 
ment;  he  would  have  fought  the  impalpable — 
given  physical  blows  to  things  of  no  substance 
— to  shadows.  He  felt  a  strange,  incongruous 
sense  of  mirth  as  he  realized  the  absurdity  of  it 
— was  he  not  a  disembodied  spirit  among  a 
countless  throng  like  unto  himself?  A  wave  of 
pity  for  himself  and  all  that  surging  throng  swept 
over  him. 

He  was  carried  rapidly  onward,  although  he 
realized  no  volition  of  his  own;  darker,  darker 
grew  the  way ;  all  the  accompanying  shadows 
disappeared  until  there  was  nothing  to  stir  the 
deadly  silence  and  gloom ;  his  longing  for  sound 
became  torture — it  was  like  holding  the  breath 
expecting  disaster — he  felt  an  agonized  desire  to 
scream,  and  thus  break  this  horrible,  waveless 
void  into  billows  of  uproar.  This  laying  off  the 
flesh — and  retaining  all  of  the  spiritual  activity 
augmented  by  being  set  so  entirely  free  from  all 
limitations  of  the  material  plane,  yet  without 
chart  or  compass  on  the  unknown  spiritual  sea, 
was  suggestive  of  difficulties  bordering  upon 
punishment,  instead  of  the  uualloj^ed  happiness 
expected. 

He  grew  very  weary  of  this  continued  progress, 
with  no  known  end  in  view;  it  is  the  hope  of 
accomplishment  which  makes  all  things — even 
waiting  —  bearable.  He  whimsically  likened 
himself  to  a  fly  in  a  sea  of  ink;  he  was  but  a 
somber  atom  in  a  shroud  of  darkness,  just  a  trifle 
more  dense  than  his  environment. 


FLOATING   FANCIES.  37 

After  that  which  seemed  to  him  ages  of  time 
and  limitless  space — forgetful  that  beyond  the 
physical  life  there  could  exist  neither  time  nor 
space,  as  both  are  of  man's  comprehension — the 
density  lightened  a  trifle;  a  seeming  wall  rose 
somberb'  before  him,  a  tantalizing  suggestion  of 
a  means  of  ingress;  and  as  he  looked  in  fear  and 
amaze  a  door  opened,  from  which  there  issued  a 
blinding  light,  and  illumined  by  its  rays  he  be 
held  a  creature  more  beautiful  than  the  imagina 
tion  of  man  ever  conceived. 

The  strong,  onward-bearing  current  seemed  at 
once  to  set  in  that  direction ;  thus,  he  became 
aware  that  his  wish,  his  desire,  governed  the 
current;  heretofore  he  had  drifted  aimlessly — 
having  nobody  to  control — and  failing  to  com 
prehend  that  the  spirit  could  be  directed.  The 
knowledge  came  to  him  as  does  tliat  which  we 
call  intuition — which  is  nothing  more  ncr  less 
than  spiritual  understanding — that  his  wish  con 
trolled  the  spirit,  as  his  desire  had  governed  the 
body. 

We  often  hear  the  departed  spoken  of  as  the 
"shade ;"  he  found  that  upon  which  he  now  gazed 
quite  the  reverse;  a  luminosity — outlining  a 
charming  vagueness — a  suggestion  of  the  beauti 
ful  rather  than  a  fact.  The  reality  never  yet 
possessed  the  lure  for  man  which  suggestion 
holds;  there  was  a  delusion  of  starry  eyes,  flow 
ing  hair,  lips  glowing  with  the  enticement  of 
kisses,  like  the  bewilderment  of  an  entrancing 
dream;  a  seeming  vague  roundness  of  form, 
which  was  but  a  figment  of  the  desire. 


33  FLOATING   FANCIES. 

"Warm  and  languorous  grew  the  compelling 
current;  fear  fell  away,  a  mad  desire  for  posses 
sion  taking  its  place.  His  gaze  seemed  fixed 
upon  the  entrancing  vision.  He  was  almost 
within  the  portal  when  a  shudder  ran  through 
his  spirit  as  a  chill  goes  through  the  body; 
a  sudden  wavering  of  the  spiritual  vision,  then — 
an  appalled  shrinking. 

The  dismay  caused  a  quick  turning  of  the 
onward-bearing  force,  which  shot  him  out  into 
the  darkness;  the  door  closed  behind  him,  and 
his  intelligence  collapsed  for  a  brief  space  of 
time. 

That  which  had  so  frightened  him  was  an 
ab3rsmal  pit,  filled  with  fighting,  struggling 
fiends,  each  bearing  a  horrible  impress  of  his 
particular  sin  stamped  upon  his  pain-distorted, 
shadowy  semblance  of  a  human  face,  in  charac 
ters  as  legible  as  words  upon  a  written  page. 
Their  sins  continually  mocked  them;  all  their 
evil  desires  remained,  accentuated  by  their 
inability  to  gratify  the  evil  propensities. 
His  most  poignant  fright  was  caused  by 
recognizing  many  whom  he  had  known  in  the 
material  life,  who  had  stood  high  in  the  world's 
esteem,  and  had  worn  a  cloak  of  superior 
sanctity. 

Helplessly  he  floated  on;  in  his  awful  collapse 
he  was  unable  to  will  his  course — if  indeed  he 
had  known  any  course  or  destination.  The 
awful,  crowding  shadows  seemed  to  bear  him 
with  them;  he  thought  that  he  had  escaped 
them,  yet  here  they  were,  and  he  was  again  but 
one  of  a  gruesome,  soundless  throng. 

He  soon  recovered  from   his  fright,  and  was 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  39 

carried  forward,  if  not  more  hopefully,  yet  more 
resignedly,  and  thus  he  came  to  another  door; 
inscribed  thereon  in  mellow  radiance  was  this 
legend,  "Knock,  and  it  shall  be  opened  unto 
you." 

With  a  thrill  he  remembered  his  earthly 
teaching.  He  drew  near  in  fear  and  awe — he 
thought  to  gently  knock.  Alas!  Hands  he  had 
not! 

Grief  surged  through  his  spirit:  "Ah,  if  I 
could  but  knock,  that  I  might  enter  in  out  of  the 
shadows  and  despair!"  he  sighed.  Even  as  the 
wish  formed,  the  door  seemed  to  roll  gently 
away;  a  soft  glow  enveloped  him;  sweet  odors 
encompassed  him;  a  warm  wave  wafted  him 
onward;  the  door  silently  slid  into  place. 
With  joy  he  realized  that  his  humble  desire 
had  typified  knocking.  All  within  was  light, 
glory  and  beauty. 

Fear  seized  him;  shame  of  his  imperfections 
held  him  motionless. 

On  every  side,  wafting  around  him,  were  crea 
tures  of  surpassing  loveliness;  no  blemish  visible 
in  any  one  of  them.  In  the  body  absolute  per 
fection  of  mind  or  matter  is  not  to  be  found ; 
here,  the  rule  seemed  to  be  reversed — there  ex 
isted  not  the  slightest  variation  from  lines  of 
perfect  symmetry.  Waves  of  intelligence  floated 
out  from  each  released  spirit,  pure  as  the  flaw 
less  diamond,  and  as  calm  as  the  waveless  sea; 
it  seemed  to  him  that  over  all  there  rested — not 
a  chill — but  the  absence  of  warmth;  warmth  and 
love  are  not  compatible  with  absolute  perfection. 

All  human  love  is  more   or  less  riotous   and 


40  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

selfish;  the  passion  is  like  an  ocean,  whose  bil 
lows  roll  high,  or  rock  in  a  gentle  lullaby,  but 
never,  never  an  unbroken  calm.  Also,  ardor 
and  warmth  are  the  fruit  of  desire,  not  necessa 
rily  sinful,  but  of  the  leaven  of  humanity. 

He  felt,  in  the  presence  of  these  spirits  of 
purity,  the  taint  of  the  world  clinging  to  him 
like  a  soiled  garment;  he  fancied  he  could  smell 
the  mold  of  the  grave,  the  odor  of  his  decaying 
body. 

He  looked  with  amaze  upon  those  spirits  from 
whom  no  thought  emanated  save  eternal  wor 
ship  of  the  Eternal  One,  seated  forever  on  a 
"Great  White  Throne"  in  their  midst;  before 
which  even  the  fronded  palms  seemed  to  lift  up 
their  heads  in  adoration. 

All  have  read  that  the  floor  of  heaven  is  laid 
over  "with  gold  and  precious  stones;"  and  whose 
"walls  are  of  jasper  and  onyx,  and  all  things 
costly  and  precious." 

All  other  emotions  now  gave  place  to  wonder. 
How  could  the  earthly  be  so  mixed  up  with 
the  spiritual?  How  could  the  love  of  "all  things 
costly"  remain,  and  no  taint  of  humanity  lin 
ger?  The  desire  for  gold  was  born  of  greed; 
and  the  love  of  precious  stones  was  sired  by 
selfishness. 

No  one  of  all  that  vast  throng  seemed  to  ob 
serve  him  ;  the  spiritual  vision  of  all  seemed  to 
be  fixed  upon  Him  who  sat  on  high.  A  great 
number  seemed  to  have  no  vocation  except  to 
float  around  and  around  the  throne;  the  con 
course  seemed  incessant,  interminable.  Another 
mighty  number  twanged  invisible  harps. 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  41 

Here  was  fresh  cause  for  amazement.  How 
could  a  bodiless  spirit  touch  the  strings  of  a 
harp?  How  could  sound  exist  where  there  were 
no  ears?  Does  not  science  demonstrate  that 
there  is  no  such  thing  as  noise,  unless  there  are 
ears  to  hear?  This  then  was  another  .figment  of 
the  spiritual  intelligence. 

His  ideas  became  so  tangled  that  it  worried 
him,  but  he  finally  summed  up  in  this  manner; 
each  intelligence  received  that  which  was  desired 
purelj',  or  believed  implicitly;  music,  worship, 
beauty;  each  but  an  expression  of  adoration. 
A  narrow  limit,  truly! 

Many  vapory  forms  floated  around  him,  gently 
touching  him  with  shadowy  wings.  One  sweet 
spirit  ever  pressed  closely  to  his  side  as  they 
neared  him  in  their  slowly  circling  around  that 
central  figure  —  like  motes  in  the  sun.  A 
thought  wave  flowed  from  her  intelligence 
to  him,  which  he  interpreted,  "Come  join  with 
me.  Let  us  worship  together!" 

He  hesitated;  the  movements  looked  very 
dreamy  and  poetic,  but  what  had  that  to  do  with 
spirituality? 

Each  spirit  beamed  with  benignant  light; 
eternal  sweetness  wafted  around  them  like  the 
odor  of  innumerable  flowers  heavy  with  dew. 
Thought  waves  rippled  from  spirit  to  spirit, 
transparent  as  a  pellucid  sea,  gentle  as  when  the 
sweet  south  wind  fans  it  into  low,  languid  swells; 
pure  as  are  the  lilies,  and  sweet  unto  faintness, 
as  is  their  odor.  His  desire  hungered  piteously  : 
"Oh,  for  the  scarlet  of  the  passion  flower  and  the 
gold  of  the  homely  dandelion!"  The  sweet 


42  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

spirit  gently  touched  him  with  filmy  -wings;  a 
thought  wave  reached  his  consciousness:  "Cease 
rebelling;  you  disturb  the  heavenly  harmony. 
Oh  come!  Come  with  me!" 

It  seemed  that  a  sigh  floated  past  him — it 
could  not  be — but  oh,  all  things  were  so  unreal! 
Even  the  holiness  and  perfection  seemed 
dreamj'  and  untrue — too  cold  and  calm. 

A  shiver  ran  through  his  spirit  he  felt  his  earth- 
iness  cling  about  his  spirituality  as  had  sodden 
garments  adhered  to  his  physical  form ;  he  was 
weighted  down  by  a  sense  of  unworthiuess  and 
imperfection.  The  teachings  of  his  humanity  so 
held  him  in  thrall  that  he  could  not  climb  the 
heights  of  exaltation  on  a  single  thought  as  all 
these  souls  appeared  to  do. 

The  alluring  spirit  came  again;  pressing  still 
more  closely  pleading  yet  more  fervently ;  a  hint 
of  earthly  love  in  her  pra3*er — vaguely  sugges 
tive — as  were  all  things  else. 

He  felt  the  Lofty  Intelligence  looking  him 
through  and  through,  and  his  mind  turned  with 
a  mighty  longing  to  his  former  habitation;  to 
him  it  seemed  that  the  limitations  of  the  flesh 
were  not  so  narrow  as  this  circumscribed  routine. 
In  this  place  was  no  progression ;  on  earth, 
one  might  at  least  make  an  effort. 

Reproachfully,  compellingly,  the  Immaculate 
gazed  upon  him. 

Sweetly,  gently,  'the  fair  spirit  lured  him, 
until  his  will  was  compelled,  and  side  by  side 
Avith  her  who  had  so  sweetly  entreated,  he  joim  d 
the  slowly  revolving  circle. 

Having  once  consented,  turning  back  was  an 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  43 

impossibility;  therein  they  differed  from  those 
in  the  flesh.  We  easily  slip  from  our  effort  after 
higher  things,  and  when  we  fall,  fall  far;  the3r, 
having  once  turned  their  spiritual  gaze  upward, 
could  not  turn  away.  As  he  floated  on,  side  by 
side  with  the  Beauteous  One,  her  sweet  mag 
netism  enveloped  him  like  the  odor  of  wild  wood 
flowers. 

His  amazement  increased;  what  worth  in  all 
this  if  he  possessed  no  free  will?  Compulsory 
virtue  is  of  no  avail.  He  wondered  what  purpose 
they  served  floating  about  like  butterflies  on  a 
summer  breeze;  and  if  it  was  any  particular 
pleasure  to  the  Lord  of  All  to  behold  them  gyrate  ? 
Oh  dear!  And  did  He  never  tire  of  even  the 
Great  White  Throne? 

He  thought,  with  a  chill  of  repulsion,  that  the 
Perfect  One,  who  did  nothing  but  sit  on  a  throne 
to  be  worshiped,  was  a  less  beautiful  expres 
sions  of  the  Deity  than  the  flowers  of  the  tield, 
or  the  birds  that  wing  their  glad  flight 
through  the  ether;  also,  that  the  incessant 
twanging  of  harps  was  not  so  sweet  a  music,  or 
so  tilled  with  worship,  as  the  babbling  of  the 
brook,  or  the  whisper  of  the  wind,  to  Him  who 
created  them. 

Ho  was  so  weary  of  it  all,  even  to  the  vapory, 
melodious  voices  of  the  shadowy  choir;  he  won 
dered  if  they  never  rested ;  also,  if  it  was  because 
of  the  taint  of  his  humanity  that  he  could  not 
appreciate  the  beauty  and  sublimity  of  it. 

He  remembered  that  from  childhood  he  had 
been  taught  that  heaven  was  as  he  now  saw  it, 
and  whenever  he  had  been  given  a  hard  task  it 


44  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

had  appeared  to  him  that  the  height  of  enjoy 
ment  would  be  in  having  nothing  to  do;  and 
that  heaven  was  a  place  of  eternal  rest,  had 
ever  been  held  out  as  an  inducement  to  exalted 
virtue,  and — excessive  labor.  He  found  the 
inactivity  terribly  irksome,  it  reminded  him  of 
worldly  ennui;  then,  the  unreality  bewildered 
him — it  was  like  pressing  the  fingers  upon  the 
eyelids — persons,  places  and  things  are  vividly 
seen,  and  yet  we  know  that  it  is  but  a  chimera 
of  the  brain  ;  a  vision  of  the  intelligence.  So 
he  grew  to  doubt  the  reality  of  everything.  He 
could  not  keep  his  spirituality  keyed  up  to 
the  proper  pitch ;  his  intelligence  would  wander 
back  to  earth  and  mortal  love.  The  purely 
spiritual  seemed  to  him  to  bo  lacking.  It  is 
only  given  to  humanity  to  burn  hot  and 
cold;  to  reach  the  heights  of  bliss  and  the 
depths  of  despair;  even  that  which  we  call  de 
spair  has  its  amelioration,  for  never  yet  was  it 
so  dark  but,  given  a  little  time,  humanity  looks 
upward  to  where  the  sun  is  shining,  and  hopes 
and  strives  to  reach  the  illuminated  summit;  but 
here — there  could  be  but  this  endless  sameness 
through  all  eternity,  without  even  the  pleasure 
of  striving,  "thus  far  shalt  thou  go,  and  no 
farther." 

He  rebelled  madly ;  he  preferred  the  trials  and 
the  pains  of  the  body,  with  the  power  to  control 
his  actions,  to  the  spiritual  and  no  will  of  his 
own.  Eternal  leisure  has  its  unpleasant  features, 
though  many  seem  to  suppose  that  eternal  leisure 
and  eternal  felicity  are  sj'nonymous. 

He  looked   back  with   positive  longing  to  the 


FLOATING   FANCIES.  45 

hard  work,  and  consequent  weariness;  from 
bodily  fatigue  rest  had  been  sweet;  but  the  un 
ending  spiritual  lassitude  of  eternity  was  terri 
ble  to  contemplate.  A  sad,  reproachful  thought 
wave  inet  his  pessimistic,  spiritual  cry;  with 
shame  and  terror,  he  felt  that  the  Perfect  One 
saw  all  his  discontent  and  rebellion — still  he 
could  not  but  wonder.  Had  all  these  placid 
souls  been  as  easily  swayed  while  in  the  body, 
as  they  were  in  the  spirit?  Their  very  sv.'eet- 
ness  and  complaisance  exasperated  him;  he 
thought,  with  a  very  human  perverseness,  that 
he  should  like  to  see  one  of  them  get  angry, 
so  as  to  get  up  a  little  excitement;  instead,  they 
were  as  sweet  as  the  dripping  sap  of  the  bud 
ding  maple,  and — as  insipid.  Things  and  per 
sons  can  be  too  good.  Bettor  a  thunderstorm 
and  a  purified  atmosphere  than  a  sultry,  lifeless 
day. 

The  exasperation  grew  upon  him.  The 
thought  wave  from  his  companion  was  like  a 
perpetual  sigh  ;  a  curious  blending  of  the  wish 
to  adore,  and  the  desire  to  be  loved.  He  felt 
the  reproach  of  the  myriad  souls  who  brushed 
him  with  filmy  wings.  Sad  reproof  fell  upon  him 
from  Him  seated  over  all. 

Waves  of  love  and  adoration  rose  and  fell  on 
the  soft,  enervating  air,  like  strains  of  languid 
music,  the  perfect  rhythm  madly  suggestive  to 
him  of  the  sweetness  and  longing  of  human 
love.  This  love  of  his  companion  spirit  revolted 
him;  it  was  like  a  draught  of  tepid  water  to  the 
traveler  dying  of  heat  and  thirst;  her  thought 
wave  had  the  effect  of  clinging  hands,  which 


46  FLOATING   FANCIES. 

would  not  let  him  go,  and  he  grew  almost  to 
hate  her. 

As  they  once  more  came  around  that  endless 
circle  he  saw  the  door  sliding  noiselessly  open, 
a  spirit  was  for  an  instant  outlined  against  the 
darkness  without;  the  door  had  already  com 
menced  to  close ;  he  madly  broke  away  from  the 
compelling  current  of  the  She,  who  would  have 
held  him.  His  consciousness  felt  her  despairing 
cry  breaking  the  placidity  of  that  spiritual 
atmosphere,  as  the  tornado  sweeps  the  ocean, 
lashing  it  into  frightful  waves. 

The  All  Seeing  looked  at  him  with  awful  wrath 
and  majesty.  Ho  but  sped  the  faster.  The  door 
was  closing  rapidly;  he  forgot  the  terrors  of  the 
darkness  without — he  forgot  the  multitude  of 
drifting  souls,  and  their  horrible  contact — he 
forgot  that  he  knew  not  where  he  should  go  in 
all  that  limitless  gloom;  he  strove  madly  to  reach 
the  door  ere  it  closed,  to  once  more  shut  him 
into  that  horrible  inactivity,  and  forced  sem 
blance  of  adoration. 

He  reached  the  door — yet  a  little  space  open ; 
the  guardian  angel  paused  in  amazement — it 
sufficed.  He  darted  through;  but  instead  of 
floating  off  on  the  magnetic  current  as  he  had 
expected,  he  plunged  downward — down,  down, 
down !  Would  he  never  reach  a  resting- 
place? 

Oh,  for  a  voice  to  crjr  aloud!  Oh,  for  the 
company  of  even  the  gruesome  shadows!  Though 
he  loathed  and  feared  them,  this  absolute  isola 
tion  held  a  greater  terror,  the  fear  that  this  st.te 


FLOATING   FANCIES.  47 

might  be  perpetual.  One  of  the  first  principles 
of  all  life  is  resistance,  and  deprived  of  all 
motive — which  is  but  another  way  of  saying  of 
all  power  of  resistance — he  felt  as  though  in  the 
throes  of  a  spiritual  vertigo. 

He  struggled  frantically  to  cry  aloud,  he 
imagined  that  a  ray  of  light  pierced  the  gloom  in 
the  distance;  with  a  mad  effort  he  struggled  up 
ward,  unseen  hands  caught  and  held  him  down, 
and  still  that  tantalizing  ray  of  light  flickered 
and  glowed  like  a  beckoning  ray  of  hope. 

Within  its  radius  grew  a  face — his  swooning 
soul  revived — it  bore  the  lineaments  of  Aimee ; 
she  too  must  have  passed  over  to  the  Beyond. 

Like  sweetest  music  a  sound  reached  him; 
sweeter  than  all  the  mythical  harps  are  the  tones 
of  the  human  voice — and  succeeding  the  deadly 
silence  through  which  he  had  passed — it  flooded 
his  whole  being  with  delight.  Aimee  was  stoop 
ing  over  him  caressingly,  her  words  were  very 
simple:  "August,  dear,  are  you  better?" 

His  fingers  closed  feebly  over  her  hand,  as  he 
whispered  faintly,  "Oh,  I  fell  so  far!  How 
came  you  to  catch  me?" 

She  answered  him  soothingly,  and  held  an 
invigorating  drink  to  his  lips;  he  drank  obedi 
ently  and  immediately  dropped  into  a  refreshing 
slumber. 

When  through  the  rush  and  roar  of  the  storm 
the  frightened  men  bore  August's  body  to  the 
farmhouse  there  was  no  disfiguring  trace  upon 
him  except  a  slight  blue  line,  like  a  faint  pencil 
mark,  extending  from  brow  to  chin;  he  lay  like 


48  FLOATING   FANCIES. 

one  asleep,  that  faint,  sweet  smile  still  upon  his 
lips.  In  a  state  of  mental  collapse  Aimee 
accompanied  them,  and  for  days  her  condition 
bordered  upon  insanity;  when  they  made  pre 
parations  to  bury  August,  she  cried  so  piteously 
that  he  was  not  dead,  that  they  were  forced  to 
delay  the  final  ceremonies;  this  was  repeated 
until  her  persistence  won  a  measure  of  unwilling 
belief,  and  a  council  of  physicians  was  called, 
who  decided  that  he  was  in  a  cataleptic  condi 
tion. 

Aimee  scarcely  left  his  bedside  until  he  recov 
ered  consciousness. 

About  a  week  after  this  occurred,  as  he  lay  on 
a  couch  drawn  up  to  the  open  window,  languidly 
looking  at  the  softly  rustling  leaves,  the  green 
grass  the  glowing  flowers,  ho  sighed  restlessly. 

Aimee  was  at  his  side  instantly:  "What  is  it, 
August?  Are  you  in  pain?" 

"Oh,  no!  I  was  only  thinking  how  much  nicer 
this  is  than  heaven,  and  wondering  why  it  is 
that  people  are  not  more  content  in  this  beauti 
ful  world;  we  have  such  infinite  variety,  such 
happy  conditions,  and  yet  humanity  is  so  unsat 
isfied."  He  paused  a  moment,  then  asked, 
"Didn't  you  know  that  I  was  in  heaven  while  I 
was  dead?" 

"I  know  that  you  are  talking  fearful  non 
sense!"  answered  Aimee  severely. 

"Do  you  think  it  nonsense  that  I  think  this 
world  so  beautiful?"  he  asked  teasingly. 

"You  know  that  I  do  not  mean  that;  but  that 
is  nonsense  about  your  going  to  heaven." 

"But  I  did  go  there  and  it  made  me  awful 


FLOATING   FANCIES.  49 

tired!  I  am  glad  that  I  returned  to  earth 
again,"  said  he. 

"Oh,  August!  You  are  perfectly  horrid!" 
was  Aimee's  shocked  rejoinder. 

He  smiled,  but  went  on  to  relate  his  strange 
experience. 

"But  you  were  not  really  dead,  you  know," 
she  replied  as  he  finished  the  recital. 

"Do  you  think  that?"  he  answered  thought 
fully;  "I  should  like  to  have  some  one — some 
person  who  really  knows — explain  the  difference 
between  that  which  is  called  trance,  and  death, 
except  as  to  duration.  Where  was  my  soul  dur 
ing  all  that  time?  Not  in  the  body  of  a  cer 
tainty.  I  know  that  my  spirit  went  to  heaven ; 
everything  there  was  just  as  I  had  been  taught 
from  childhood  that  it  would  be;  that  teaching 
could  not  by  any  possibility  be  wrong!"  he 
added  conclusively,  but  with  a  merry  twinkle  in 
his  eye. 

Later  on,  sweetly  and  seriously  he  said,  "I 
shall  always  love  and  appreciate  nature  so  much 
more  for  that  experience;  of  things  infinite  we 
know  not  the  method;  we  behold  the  result,  and 
we  know  that  the  Creator  is.  All  nature  unites 
into  a  rhythm  of  grandest  praise  to  Him  who 
is  part  and  parcel  of  all  things  good.  The  leaf 
on  the  tree  whispers  of  his  abiding  presence; 
the  flower  that  springs  from  the  mold  lifts  its 
face  to  the  sun  and  air,  and  speaks  of  the  Life, 
glorifying  Him  with  its  beauteous  colors.  God 
is  the  very  principle  of  all  life.  He  is  not  an 
Idle  God ;  his  work  goes  on  forever,  without 
haste,  without  cessation.  We  are  created  in  his 


50  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

image;  not  as  to  the  ph3rsical,  which  must 
change  its  form,  and  subserve  in  other  ways,  but 
as  to  the  spiritual,  which,  if  we  will  not  pervert 
our  higher  natures — will  grow  to  sublime  heights 
of  purity  and  goodness — the  higher  we  place  our 
standard  the  nearer  we  approach  the  Divine. 

"We  sin  continually  against  our  better  selves, 
our  physical  bodies  and  our  spiritual  natures,  we 
gorge  the  body  and  starve  the  mind;  we  over 
work  the  perishable  physical,  and  let  the  mental 
and  spiritual  rust,  while  we  heap  up  a  little  gold 
and  silver  for  those  who  shall  come  after  us  to 
squander  and  quarrel  over.  We  strive  after  a 
heaven  in  the  future,  and  neglect  that  which 
only  is  ours  to-day.  Why  wait  for  an  impossi 
ble  time,  and  a  mythical  place?  Yv'e  had  best 
take  a  share  of  it  each  day;  it  is  here  if  we  will 
accept  it;  for,  dearest  Aimee,  what  does  heaven 
mean  but  happiness?" 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  51 


THE  TRAGEDY   OF   THE   GNOMES. 

MANY,  many  ages  ago  this  fair  old  Avorld  of 
ours  wore  a  solemn  and  forbidding  aspect;  no 
carpet  of  thick,  green  grass  eased  the  footfall  of 
man  as  he  climbed  the  hills;  no  human  voice 
was  heard  amid  the  desolation — ice,  ice  every 
where — from  the  North  Pole  to  the  center  of  that 
which  is  now  the  temperate  zone,  and  only  such 
life  peopled  this  region  as  could  endure  the 
rigor  of  a  more  than  arctic  condition.  Vast 
sheets  of  ice,  in  depth  immeasurable,  covered 
the  surface  of  the  hills  and  valleys,  broken  to 
ward  the  tropics  into  serrated  edges — the  verdure 
running  up  an  occasional  valley,  as  though  in 
laughing  derisions  of  its  neighbors  the  ice- 
imprisoned  mountains. 

In  those  days  there  existed  only  hideous 
animals  and  reptiles  of  size  great  and  awful; 
animals  whose  terribla  voice  shook  the  moun 
tains  like  an  earthquake;  slimy  or  scaly  reptiles 
who  walked  on  many  feet,  or  dragged  a  hideous 
length  along  the  ice-covered  rocks.  It  seemed 
as  if  the  great  Creator  must  have  fashioned  all 
existent  things  in  an  hour  of  wrath,  or  that  man, 
having  existed,  had  been  for  some  sin  extermi 
nated  by  that  icy  inundation,  and  that  animal 
creation  had  so  displeased  him  that  he  had 


53  FLOATING   FANCIES. 

fashioned  them   in   grotesque  caricature  upon  all 
grace  and  beauty. 

Man  esteems  himself  higher  than  all  other 
created  things ;  who  shall  say  that  the  great, 
buzzing  bluebottle  fly  does  not  think  the  same 
of  himself,  and  perhaps,  with  as  much  reason ;  it 
is  at  most  but  a  grade  of  intelligence;  and  what 
do  we  understand  of  that  Intelligence  which  is 
above  us? 

In  one  of  the  green  valleys  running  up  into 
the  foothills  of  what  is  now  called  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  frisked  and  played  a  band  of  Gnomes. 
These  were  but  a  fairy  people,  differing  only 
from  the  fairies  of  woodland  glade  and  dell  in 
this ;  those  fairy  folk  were  things  of  beauty  like 
imprisoned  sunbeams;  lighter  than  gossamer, 
they  floated  hither  and  thither,  always  trending 
toward  the  tropics,  where  the  sun  shone  radiantly 
warm,  and  the  silvery  moon  lighted  the  verdant 
carpet  of  grass,  and  the  sweet  south  wind  rang 
the  lily  bells  in  merry  chime;  there  they  idled 
away  each  sunny  day — creatures  of  light  and 
frivolity. 

These  Gnomes  were  a  sturdier,  darker  folk, 
short  in  stature,  but  with  a  breadth  of  shoulder, 
a  depth  of  chest,  and  muscles  fit  for  giants. 
Though  for  an  occasional  frolic  they  danced 
and  roughly  tossed  each  other  about  in  the 
valley,  they  better  loved  their  homes  in  the  heart 
of  the  ice  covered  mountains,  where  they  forged 
beautiful  things  from  the  yellow  metal,  or 
decked  their  cavern  homes  with  softly  glowing, 
or  fiery-eyed  jewels;  thus  from  earnest  labor 
their  faces  gained  a  look  of  firmness  and  deter- 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  53 

ruination ;  they  were  homely,  but  were  good  to 
look  upon,  lighted  as  their  faces  were  by  love 
and  kindliness. 

One  among  them  was  wondrously  fair:  Lil- 
leela  they  called  her.  Her  hair  was  like  silk  as 
it  winds  from  the  cocoon;  her  eyes  were  blue  as 
the  sky  when  it  shows  between  the  fleecy  clouds 
of  summer;  her  cheeks  were  as  though  they  had 
been  kissed  by  the  wild  rose  blooms,  which  left 
their  dainty  stains  upon  the  fair  skin.  She  was 
as  sweet  and  pure  as  the  breath  of  the  dawn. 

Walada  was  her  lover;  a  short,  deep-chested 
giant,  with  a  face  like  a  ripe  walnut — all  seams 
and  puckers;  not  with  age,  but  with  jolly  laugh 
ter,  and  intent,  hard  work.  Lilleela  must  have 
the  finest  of  rubies,  on  strings  of  beaten  gold ; 
tiny  silver  bells  must  be  made,  to  ring  their 
sweet  chimes  with  every  joyous  movement; 
dainty  chains  of  gold — set  with  amethyst,  rubies 
and  diamonds — must  be  wrought  to  bind  the 
floating  cloud  of  hair.  Away  down  in  the  heart 
of  the  mountain  Walado  plied  his  little  hammer 
of  polished  stone — clink-clink-clink  all  day  long 
like  a  refrain  it  accompanied  his  happy  song. 

One  fair  day  the  troop  of  Gnomes  went  down 
into  the  green  valley  for  a  holiday. 

Walaclo  objected:  "No,  no!  You  can  go,  but 
I  must  finish  this  golden  girdle  for  my  Lilleela, 
and  then,  there  are  sandals  of  gold  to  be  set  with 
precious  stones  for  her  feet — they  are  too  sweet 
and  fair  to  be  bruised  by  the  rocks,"  he  had 
answered,  screwing  up  his  face  into  a  funny 
little  smile. 

"Oh,  do  come,  Walado!     The  girdle  and  san- 


54  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

dais  can  wait!  The  sun  is  so  cold  and  sorrowful 
up  here,  but  down  in  the  valley  it  is  so  beauti 
ful!"  pleaded  Lilleela. 

Her  blue  eyes  moulded  his  will  liko  warm  wax, 
and  over  the  ice  they  sped  away  many,  many 
miles,  to  where  its  broken  edges  lay  like  icicles 
flattened  out  with  huge  rollers;  some  having 
sharp,  sword-like  points,  others  rounded  and 
scalloped,  as  though  in  fanciful  adornment.  All 
along  the  border  of  the  valley,  reaching  in  places 
high  up  on  the  mountain  side — wherever  there 
were  breaks  in  the  ice — hardy  trees  had  planted 
their  feet,  and  li.ted  their  heads  to  catch  a 
breath  of  the  warmer  air  of  the  tropics;  some 
few,  essaying  to  climb  still  higher,  or  being  less 
hardy — reached  their  dead  arms  abroad,  or 
pointed  with  ghostb'  fingers  toward  the  icy  deso 
lation  in  warning  to  their  kind. 

These  happy,  childlike  beings,  instead  of 
walking,  had  a  gliding  movement  which  carried 
them  over  the  ground  very  rapidly;  laughing, 
tumbling,  pushing  one  another  in  merry  sport, 
they  sped  on  as  though  wings  were  attached  to 
their  feet.  Hand  in  hand  went  Walado  and  Lil 
leela;  his  nut-brown  face  drawing  into  a  nest  of 
comical  wrinkles,  which  were  so  many  happy 
smiles;  her  look  was  like  the  sun,  bright  and 
warm. 

Of  a  sudden  she  stopped  and  shivered:  "Oh, 
my  Walado,  what  was  that?"  From  off  the 
mountain  height  had  come  a  long,  low  wail,  and 
a  chill  was  borne  with  it  which  froze  them  with 
fear. 

Walado   gathered    her   in   his   embrace,    and 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  65 

shading  his  eyes  with  one  hand,  looked  back 
over  the  mountain:  "Fear  not,  my  Lilleela,  'tis 
but  the  voice  of  the  storm  on  its  way  from  the 
far  north.  fSee!  We  shall  soon  be  in  the  beau 
tiful  valley,  where  he  cannot  come!" 

"Let  us  hasten,  then,  for  in  my  heart  I  feel  a 
chill  which  is  like  death." 

Walado  gathered  her  closer  to  him  :  "Little  sun 
beam!  Arn  I  not  able  to  shield  you  from  the 
shadow  of  the  dark  cloud?" 

She  patted  his  brown  face  with  her  wee,  rose- 
leaf  palms,  and  kissed  the  wrinkles  on  his  brown 
cheeks  lovingly. 

"Yes,  my  Walado;  your  arm  is  as  strong  as 
your  heart  is  brave,  but —  she  broke  off 
abruptly:  "Let  us  fly!"  she  finished  with  a 
sound  between  a  laugh  and  a  sob  as  the  wailing 
came  borne  from  the  mountain  heights  once 
more. 

Turning  their  affrighted  glance  backward, 
they  saw  the  tall  pines  at  the  foot  of  the  hills 
swaying  wildly ;  some  which  stood  so  tall  and 
straight  were  snatched  off  like  a  brittle  weed 
and  tossed  down  the  mountain  side. 

Lilleela  shivered  again,  remembering  the  look 
the  fearful  Ice  King  had  given  her  as  he  rode 
above  the  mountain  height  upon  which  she  stood 
at  twilight  hour;  he  was  seated  upon  a  cloud  of 
inky  blackness;  his  eyes  shot  forth  red  and  yel 
low  flame,  like  the  terrible  light  which  streamed 
up  from  the  far  north;  his  lips  were  blue  and 
hideous,  and  his  matted  hair,  and  long,  tangled 
beard,  were  a  mixture  of  frost  and  ice.  He 
pointed  a  finger  at  her  which  looked  as  though 


66  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

belonging  to  the  hand  of  one  long  since  dead — 
so  rigid  and  bloodless  it  appeared — the  nails 
showed  blue  and  ghastly.  With  a  voice  like  the 
whistling  north  wind,  he  said,  "You'll  make  a 
bonny  bride  for  the  Ice  King!  Your  youth  will 
"warm  my  old  blood  finely!  o-We-ee,  Y-e-ss!" 
The  cloud  passed  on,  and  bore  him  from  her 
view,  but  the  deadly  chill  remained,  for  well 
Lilleela  knew  that  his  love  meant  death,  as  his 
hate  meant  destruction. 

For  this  reason  the  wailing  sound  shook  her 
with  an  awful  fear,  but  she  dared  not  tell 
Walado;  she  feared  that  he  would  turn  and  seek 
the  terrible  monarch  whose  simple  touch  was 
death;  once  more  she  caught  Walado's  hand, 
crying  gayly,  "Come,  come,  before  the  storm 
god  overtakes  us!" 

They  romped  and  played  through  all  that 
happy  day;  they  climbed  the  steep  inclines,  and 
sitting  on  the  glittering  ice  dashed  down  to  the 
valley  below,  tumbling  over  and  over,  with 
laughter  sweet  as  the  tinkling  of  silver  bells;  it 
seemed  strange  to  hear  such  sweet  and  musical 
sounds  issuing  from  those  queer  little  bodies, 
but  the  sound  fiti'uly  represented  the  sweet  har 
monious  souls  within. 

At  last,  worn  out  with  play,  they  climbed  the 
long,  icy  hills;  they  wound  around  the  tower 
ing  rocks,  they  clung  to  dizzy  precipices;  they 
crept  by  the  lairs  of  horrible  animals  with  noise 
less  tread ;  ever  upward  and  onward  toward  the 
North  Pole,  where  life  had  grown  old  and  dead, 
while  the  new  life  had  slipped  down  toward  the 
equator. 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  67 

"Ob,  why  do  we  journey  so  far  to-night, 
Walado?"  said  Lilleela  wearily. 

"There  is  a  mountain  lying  in  the  light  of  the 
northern  star,  which  is  filled  with  yellow  gold; 
its  caverns  are  lined  with  jewels;  I  seek  them 
for  you,  my  Lilleela." 

As  he  ceased  speaking,  again  that  wailing 
sound  filled  with  awful  menace  smote  their  ears: 
"o-o-W-ee"  a  sound  that  rose  from  fretful  dis 
content  into  fiercest  anger,  then  died  away  like 
a  long  sigh  of  satisfied  hate. 

"I  am  afraid,  Walado!  Oh  do  return!"  cried 
Lilleela  in  terror. 

"  'Tis  but  the  wind,  beloved  one,"  answered 
Walado  stoutly,  though  ho  too  shivered. 

"Nay!  nay!  It  is  the  Ice  King  passing  by 
in  his  chariot  of  storm,  and  drawn  by  his  slaves 
— the  winds  of  the  hurricane,"  she  cried  franti 
cally,  fear  making  her  pallid  lips  tremble. 

Walado's  wrinkled  visage  grew  stern — all  the 
pleasant  lines  drawn  out  of  it;  he  understood 
more  than  her  words  told  him. 

"Has  he  dared  to  look  upon  you,  with  a  desire 
to  possess  you?  Knows  he  not  that  you  are 
mine?  I  am  not  worthy  of  you — except  as  love 
for  you  makes  me  worthy — "  his  voice  drop 
ping  into  tender  cadence,  "but  he — the  monarch 
of  all  cruelty — is  not  of  our  kind.  His  very  kiss 
is  death;  let  him  find  a  bride  in  his  own  frozen 
empire — the  North  Pole!"  He  shook  his 
clinched  hand  in  the  direction  of  the  swift  rush 
ing  shadow,  which  so  depressed  them  all : 
"Haste!  haste,  men  and  maidens!  Let  us  flee 
to  our  own  mountain  home,  where  we  can  defy 


58  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

the  monster!  Our  Lilleela  has  just  cause  for 
fear,  for  none  upon  whom  he  has  looked  with 
the  desire  for  possession  ever  escaped  him;  and 
it  is  only  by  speedily  reaching  our  caverns  that 
we  may  hope  for  safety." 

They  turned  about,  and  like  a  flock  of  fright 
ened  birds  they  flitted  away,  with  no  more  noise 
than  would  be  made  by  the  rustle  of  a  bat's  wing, 
and  were  lost  in  the  gloom. 

The  moon  shone  out  cold  and  pale,  as  though 
grieving  over  the  dread  desolation  and  lighted 
up  the  angry  face  of  the  Ice  King  with  a  pallid 
luster;  he  puffed  out  his  gaunt  cheeks  menac 
ingly;  his  eyes  darted  flame  like  the  quick 
thrusts  of  a  sword  blade  in  deadljr  battle;  as  he 
saw  that  the  Gnomes  had  fled  lie  shrieked  in 
wrath.  He  swayed  the  tall  trees,  and  tossed 
their  dead  branches  in  every  direction;  he 
fiercely  threw  the  rocks  from  the  lofty  mountain 
summits,  and  as  they  went  crashing  down,  down, 
with  thunderous  noise,  they  splintered  and  tore 
up  the  ice  like  a  silver  foam,  which  glittered  and 
flashed  with  pale  prismatic  glow  as  it  caught  the 
moon's  sad,  cold  ray. 

Faster,  faster  flew  the  tiny  band ;  closer  clung 
Lilleela  to  Walado'shand  as  that  wrathful  shriek 
reached  their  ears;  dashing  wildly  past  the  brow 
of  the  darkly  towering  mountain,  as  the  crashing 
of  rocks  smote  them  with  wild  affright;  leaping 
across  the  roaring  torrent,  to  slip  and  sprawl  on 
the  glassy  ice  of  the  further  bank;  up  and  away, 
brusied  and  sore;  past  lifeless  trees,  whose  dead 
branches  were  falling  all  about  them,  until  at 
last  they  reached  a  mountain  home  seldom  used 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  59 

by  them.  Nothing  was  to  be  seen  save  a  tiny 
crevice  between  the  rocks;  one  after  another 
they  lay  down,  and  silently  slid  through;  then, 
and  not  until  then,  \Valado  spoke : 

"We  are  safe!  Even  the  Ice  King  cannot 
enter  here!  We  are  safe,  quite  safe!" 

"Are  you  sure?  Ah,  my  W7alado,  he  is  so 
vengeful!"  sighed  Lilleela.  Walado  laughed, 
all  his  funny  little  puckers  laughing  as  well: 

"He  knows  nothing  of  our  hiding-place,  and 
he  could  not  force  his  great  rigid  bod.v  through 
the  narrow  opening.  Oh,  we  are  quite  safe!"  he 
reiterated  gleefully. 

But  Lilleela  sighed. 

Walado  felt  the  hopelessness  of  that  sound, 
and  it  grieved  his  tender  heart;  he  passed  his 
rugged,  brown  hand  over  her  flossy  hair,  with  a 
touch  as  soft  as  the  brushing  of  a  butterfly's 
wing. 

"My  treasure,  if  ill  befall  us  here  in  this  our 
vaulted  hall,  there  are  still  the  lower  caverns, 
where  none  can  possibly  come  save  'we  who 
know'." 

They  soon  regained  confidence,  and  joked  and 
made  merry;  they  were  such  trusting,  childlike 
beings,  taking  the  comfort  and  joy  of  each  hour 
at  its  utmost  worth. 

Their  enjoyment  was  at  its  height,  when 
faintly  heard  came  that  long  chilling  wail. 
Two  of  their  number  had  gone  outside  unnoticed 
by  Walado;  they  came  shooting  in  through  the 
entrance,  their  brown  faces  bleached  an  ashen 
gray,  their  teeth  chattering,  their  eyes  protrud 
ing.  All  sprang  up  in  wild  affright. 


60  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

"Where  have  you  been?  What  is  the  mat 
ter?"  cried  Walado,  as  sternly  as  the  gentle  soul 
could  speak. 

"WTe  but  crept  out  for  the  birds  we  had 
snared!  We  thought  to  help  out  the  feast!" 
said  Tador,  the  hairy  one. 

"And  I  had  a  skin  of  berries  that  I  gathered 
in  the  valley  below ;  they  were  very  sweet, 
Walado!"  answered  Sudana,  the  good. 

"Tell  me  what  you  saw,"  replied  Walado 
eadly,  his  anger  melted  away  ^by  their  deprecat 
ing  looks  and  words. 

Sudana  answered  :  "We  saw  the  Ice  King ;  his 
cloud  chariot  so  low  that  it  touched  the  top  of 
the  mountain,  he  was  so  angnr  that  the  frost  flew 
in  great  clouds  from  his  nostrils;  his  breath 
reached  us  and  chilled  us  through." 

Walado  opened  his  lips  to  speak,  when — "O-o- 
WT-W-ee,"  filling  all  that  vaulted  chamber  with 
the  dread  sound,  it  came  borne  on  a  wind  so 
chill  that  it  pierced  the  hearts  of  each  with  cold 
and  fear. 

These  loving  souls  had  never  felt  the  need  of  a 
ruler,  each  doing  his  utmost  through  love  for 
all,  thus  there  had  been  no  dissensions;  now  all 
turned  instinctively  to  Walado  for  guidance. 
They  were  growing  benumbed  with  the  chill  of 
that  icy  breath. 

Walado  silently  pointed  to  the  narrow  passage 
leading  deep  into  the  bowels  of  the  earth.  Each 
took  his  beloved  by  the  hand  and  prepared  for 
the  descent;  before  they  had  taken  so  much  as 
one  step,  there  came  a  crash  so  awful  that  it 
shook  the  great  mountain  to  its  center;  the  fall- 


FLOATING   FANCIES.  61 

ing  of  rocks  resounded  in  deafening  commotion; 
the  Ice  King's  snarling  wail  echoed  and  re-echoed 
throughout  the  cavern ;  bitter,  bitter  cold  grew 
the  air;  crash — crash — crash,  came  the  sound  of 
falling  mountains  heaped  upon  them ;  covering 
them  deeply  beneath  the  debris. 

Then  was  a  new  horror  added;  the  roaring 
and  growling  of  many  horrible  beasts,  as  they 
fought  and  struggled  for  entrance  through  the 
narrow  passageAvay,  to  escape  the  falling  ruins, 
and  the  deadly  cold. 

There  was  the  shrieking  and  tumult  of  the 
tempest;  the  hiss  and  roar  of  the  struggling 
reptiles,  but  higher  and  shriller  than  all  else  was 
the  fierce  wailing  menace  of  the  angry  Ice  King; 
it  shrieked  to  them  insolently:  "You  defy  n.e, 
do  you?  We'll  see!  We'll  s-e-e!" 

Gray  and  pallid  grew  the  little  brown  faces  as 
they  silently  followed  Walado  doAvn  into  the 
bowels  of  the  earth  until  they  came  to  a  lofty 
room;  here  they  huddled  silently  together. 

Thus  they  remained  day  after  day,  night  after 
night,  no  ray  of  light  to  distinguish  the  one  from 
the  other;  but  as  time  passed  on  the  pangs  of 
hunger  assailed  them  fiercely.  Tador's  birds 
were  divided,  and  by  morsels  eaten;  Sudana's 
berries  were  parceled  out  by  ones  and  by  twos, 
Walado  adding  all  his  share  to  Lilleela's,  al 
though  she  knew  not  that  it  was  so;  grayer  grew 
his  little,  wrinkled  face,  but  ever  it  smiled  ten 
derly  upon  Lilleela,  and  with  patient  kindness 
he  answered  all  questions  in  unselfish  endeavor 
to  comfort  and  cheer  the  others.  For  a  time 
they  could  feel  the  earth  quiver  and  vibrate  as 


6$J  FLOATING   FANCIES. 

though  in  shuddering  fear,  then  came  a  time  of 
awi'ul  calm,  when  the  sound  of  a  voice  smote  the 
deadly  silence  -with  all  the  horror  of  thunder 
tones,  until  thej'  shrank  affrighted,  and  spoke 
only  in  awed  whispers — afraid  of  the  awful  echo 
which  answered  sound.  Paler  and  more  spirit- 
like  grew  Lilleela;  sadder,  sadder  grew  Walado 
as  he  pillowed  her  head  upon  his  broad  breast. 
The  sighs  of  all  rose  incessantly! 

At  last  Tador  whispered,  "Shall  I  not  descend 
further  toward  the  center  of  the  earth?  It  will 
be  warmer  than  it  is  here — it  grows  so  very 
cold!"  shivering. 

"As  you  wish,  Tador,"  replied  Walado  sadly. 
Hearing   Walado 's    answer    all    clamored    to 
accompany  him — anything  seemed  preferable  to 
this  inaction. 

As  they  prepared  for  the  descent,  Sudana 
said:  "We  do  not  know  what  we  may  find, 
Walado,"  trying  to  speak  hopefully. 

"Gold  and  jewels  in  plenty,  but  all  that  lies 
hidden  in  the  whole  mountain  range,  are  not 
worth  as  much  as  one  juicy  berry,"  and  he 
glanced  at  Lilleela's  wan  face.  She  was  far  too 
weak  to  accompany  the  party,  and  all  insisted 
that  W'alado  must  remain  with  her;  he  silently 
folded  her  in  his  arms;  he  would  not  have  left 
her. 

She  raised  her  sad  eyes  to  his  face:  "Better 
had  I  have  given  myself  to  the  Ice  King;  then  I 
only  should  have  perished,"  she  said. 

"No!  no!  no!"  whispered  they,  as  with  one 
voice. 

Wearily,  wearily  time  passed  on,  but  they  did 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  G3 

not  return.  Lilleela  dozed  and  whispered  fit 
fully,  but  Walado  sat  with  staring  eyes,  and  lis 
tened  intently  for  sounds  of  his  comrades,  he  was 
afraid  to  move  lest  he  disturb  his  precious 
burden. 

At  lust  she  raised  herself  up  on  her  elbow,  her 
eyes  full  of  agony:  "Oh,  Walado,  take  me  up 
above — I  cannot  breathe  here!  Oh,  I  must  get 
one  breath  of  air!"  her  chest  heaving  convul 
sively,  her  hollow  checks  palpitating  with  the 
struggle  for  inhalation. 

One  great  tear  rolled  down  Walado's  cheek, 
and  fell  splashing  on  the  rocky  floor. 

Around  his  waist  he  wore  a  rope  made  of  the 
hide  of  animals,  which  served  to  hold  his  stone 
hammer  and  ax;  with  this  rope  ho  bound  Lil 
leela  to  him,  passing  it  under  her  arms  and 
around  his  neck. 

"Dear  one,  put  your  arms  about  my  neck  to 
steady  yourself  all  that  you  are  able,  and  I  will 
carry  you  safely  up." 

Her  chest  rose  and  fell  spasmodical!}';  her 
heart  fluttered  faintly,  or  thumped  with  wild, 
irregular  motion. 

The  walls  of  the  shaft  were  covered  with  ice, 
rendering  it  almost  impossible  to  obtain  a  foot 
hold;  inch  by  inch  ho  made  slow  headway,  every 
muscle  strained  to  its  utmost  tension;  his  hands 
leaving  stains  of  blood  with  every  grasp.  He 
could  at  last  see  a  ray — scarcely  of  light,  but  a 
little  less  glooin ;  he  was  so  exhausted  that  ho 
was  gasping  for  breath ;  he  placed  his  hands 
upon  a  slight  projection  for  one  more  effort — it 
may  have  been,  that  his  eagerness  was  too  great, 


64  FLOATING   FANCIES. 

or  that  he  grasped  but  brittle  ice  which  broke 
off — for  he  fell.  Down,  down  he  slipped,  with 
inconceivable  rapidity ;  weak  from  want  of  food, 
and  frightened  lest  he  injure  his  beloved,  he  lost 
his  presence  of  mind. 

Lilleela  recalled  his  wandering  faculties;  after 
one  frantic  scream,  she  made  no  outcry — indeed 
she  had  little  breath  for  speech — but  with  her 
lips  close  to  his  ear  she  whispered:  "Throw  out 
your  hands  and  feet  against  the  wall,  and  I  will 
do  the  same;  we  may  at  least  break  the  fall!" 
Little  by  little  the  speed  decreased,  until  as 
Walado's  foot  touched  another  projection  they 
stopped  altogether.  He  waited  long  enough  to 
recover  breath  and  a  little  strength.  Lilleela's 
head  fell  over  sidewise;  she  had  fainted,  and 
hung  a  dead  weight  about  his  neck;  he  dared 
not  loose  his  hands,  though  he  madly  longed  to 
caress  the  cheek  which  felt  so  cold  to  his  trem 
bling  lips.  Once  more,  nerved  by  desperation, 
he  made  an  effort  to  reach  the  upper  cave;  slowly 
and  carefully  he  climbed;  resting  often — a.  hand 
or  foot  slipping — 'dinging  frantically  as  the  ice 
became  thicker,  and^  the  ascent  more  difficult. 
At  last,  just  as  his  fingers  were  over  the  upper 
edge  his  foot  slipped,  and  threw  the  other  from 
its  resting-place;  for  one  breathless  instant  he 
hung  suspended  by  his  fingers — Lilleela's  life 
less  weight  dragging  him  down !  Sparks  of  fire 
shot  before  his  eyes!  A  noise  as  of  rushing 
water  sounded  in  his  ears:  His  breathing  be- 
daiue  labored  and  stertorious!  A  bitter  cry  rose 
to  his  lips  as  Lilleela's  cold  cheek  touched  his 
drooping  face;  he  made  one  supreme  effort,  and 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  65 

half  unconscious  he  lay  upon  the  floor  of  the 
upper  cavern,  Lilleela's  cold  form  clasped  in  his 
embrace! 

The  chill  at  length  restored  him  to  conscious 
ness;  he  sat  up  and  unbound  Lilleela;  he  struck 
two  pieces  of  flint  rapidly  together,  and  ignited 
the  punk  which  he  carried  in  a  bag  about  his 
neck.  He  observed  that  the  cold  wind  had 
ceased  blowing  in,  thus  he  knew  that  the  Ice 
King  must  have  departed,  probably  believing 
that  all  were  dead.  "Well,  so  they  were — all  but 
himself — and — perhaps  Lilleela! 

He  felt  for  her  heart,  but  could  find  no  pulsa 
tion;  he  kissed  her  cold  cheeks,  and  blew  his 
warm  breath  between  her  parted  lips;  at  last  the 
madness  of  despair  took  possession  of  him.  He 
groveled  on  the  icy  floor!  He  shrieked  aloud,  to 
be  answered  only  by  a  thousand  hollow  echoes! 
He  ran  to  the  opening  through  which  they  had 
entered,  and  found  the  passage  barred  by  rocks 
and  dirt;  he  tore  at  the  rubbish  with  his  hands 
as  an  animal  digs  with  its  claws,  only  to  fall 
back  in  despair  with  the  tears  coursing  down 
his  cheeks. 

"Oh,  my  Lilleela!  If  I  could  but  reach  the 
air!  If  I  could  only  carry  you  into  the  sunshine 
and  let  it  warm  your  cold  face!  Oh,  my  Lil 
leela.  Oh,  my  Lilleela!"  he  cried,  gathering  her 
once  more  into  his  arms.  All  the  cave  was  now 
lighted  with  a  dim,  red  light,  from  a  few  slivers 
of  wood  ignited  with  the  burning  punk.  "Water 
had  oozed  through  the  rocks  from  above  and 
formed  long,  glittering  icicles,  frozen  by  the 
fierce  breath  of  the  Ice  King;  the  floors  and 


66  FLOATING    FANCIES. 

walls  were  likewise  of  ice,  cold  and  scintillating. 
The  sighs  winch  had  arisen  from  the  imprisoned 
Gnomes  had  congealed  into  forms  of  wonderful 
beauty,  as  pure  as  the  white  souls  of  the  passing 
spirits;  all  over  that  arched  ceiling  hung  fairy 
curtains  of  frost,  wonderful  jewels,  each  like  a 
frozen  tear,  ornamented  each  jutting  point. 
"Walado  sat  down  with  his  back  against  an  angle 
of  the  wall,  and  clasped  Lilleela  in  loving  em 
brace;  he  smiled  sadly  yet  lovingly  as  his  eyes 
rested  upon  walls  and  dome:  "It  is  a  fitting 
tomb  for  thy  fair  body,  my  beloved!  Thy  spirit, 
not  even  the  Ice  King  can  imprison;  and  I — 
thine  even  in  death — I  go  with  thee,  to  serve 
thee  still!" 

He  bowed  his  face  against  her  fair  hair,  and  as 
he  so  rested  his  spirit  left  his  homely  little  body. 

It  seems  almost  a  pity  that  they  could  not 
have  known  how  fully  their  wrongs  were 
avenged.  Hot  waves  washed  up  from  the  tropic 
seas  and  melted  the  crust  of  ice  with  which  the 
cruel  monarch  had  encased  all  the  hills;  and  he 
was  driven  by  the  south  wind  to  his  lair  at  the 
North  Pole,  there  to  remain  in  expiation  forever. 
Thus  the  hills  became  fertile,  and  with  the  pass 
ing  of  those  pure  souls  there  sprang  to  life  on 
the  mountain  side — the  primrose,  for  Lilleela's 
pink-white  skin;  the  columbine,  for  the  azure  of 
her  eyes;  the  gentian,  for  the  crimson  of  her 
lips;  and  the  tall,  white  lily,  for  the  stately 
grace  of  her  body ;  and  always  the  brown-coated 
robin,  with  his  warm  breast,  sings  lovingly  by 
day  and  sleeps  in  their  midst  by  night,  and 
thus  "Walado's  soul  still  faithfully  serves  his 
beloved. 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  67 


AN  UNFAIK  EXCHANGE. 

IN  and  around  the  bank  of  "Lombard  and  Lom 
bard"  all  was  confusion. 

Arthur  Lombard,  the  senior  member  of  the 
firm,  had  suddenly  fallen  to  the  floor  as  he  was 
entering  his  office,  to  all  appearance  dead. 
Physicians  were  hastily  summoned;  policemen 
were  called  to  keep  out  the  ubiquitous  small 
boy,  and  the  omnipresent  curiosity  seeker.  The 
great  doors  were  closed  with  a  crash  as  the 
grave  physician  gave  his  verdict :  "He  is  dead  ; 
heart  failure !"  The  truth  which  conveys  a  great 
grief,  ever  seems  heartless,  and  in  a  degree, 
coarse. 

Death  shocks  us  ever,  we  think  of  it  as  con 
nected  with  a  sick  bed  and  fit  preparation ;  deep 
down  in  our  inner  consciousness  we  form  plans  ;- 
when  the  dark  angel  shall  knock  at  our  door,  we 
will  hastily  don  our  robes  of  sanctity,  and  fly 
away  to  eternal  bliss.  We  are  horrified  when  he 
smites  one  of  our  number  unaware — but  wo  never 
think  it  might  have  been  us  instead. 

The  dead  body  was  removed  to  his  residence 
in  the  most  fashionable  part  of  the  city;  crape 
hung  from  the  elegant  portal;  crapo  draped  the 
closed  doors  of  the  bank,  and  lent  adventitious 
aid  to  the  gloom  of  the  high  walled,  narrow 
street. 


68  FLOATING   FANCIES. 

How  many  truly  mourned  I  cannot  say;  a 
merchant  iu  high  standing  exchanged  views 
with  an  artisan,  both  equally  interested,  as  both 
had  all  they  possessed  in  the  bark,  albeit  one 
had  thousands  of  dollars  deposited,  the  other 
but  a  few  hundred. 

"How  will  it  affect  the  bank?"  questioned 
the  artisan. 

"I  really  could  not  say,  but  I  think  not  seri 
ously,"  was  the  guarded  reply. 

"As  I  understand,  he  was  the  head  of  the  con 
cern." 

"Y-e-s,  but  Gus  Lombard  is  all  right.  It  is  a 
pity,  though,  that  Arthur  was  taken  off. " 

Such  is  the  sorrow  of  the  world;  a  few  who 
have  known  us  intimately  may  feel  a  less  selfish 
grief;  our  motives  are  so  complex,and  selfishness 
so  much  a  part  of  human  nature,  that  we  seldom 
judge  our  own  actions  correctly.  If  but  one  or 
two  can  say  with  sincerity  that  our  lives  and  our 
language  were  pure,  then  we  shall  not  have  lived 
in  vain,  as  every  living  being — >whether  good  cr 
bad — will  influence  some  other  to  follow  his  ex 
ample.  Lombard  had  been  an  unmarried  man, 
who  kept  up  a  fine  establishment,  and  lived  in 
good  style;  but  being  very  reticent  few  knew 
aught  of  his  business  affairs. 

He  was  laid  out  in  one  of  tho  parlors;  win 
dows  were  darkened;  lamps  were  shaded;  heavy 
carpets  deadened  the  footfalls,  until  the  silence 
and  gloom  became  oppressive. 

Late  at  night,  three  days  after  he  was  stricken 
down,  a  slight,  fair  girl  entered  the  parlor  noise 
lessly;  Edith  Herford  had  been  his  ward;  ahe 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  69 

had  also  been  his  betrothed,  although  no  one 
save  his  brother  Gus  was  aware  of  the  fact. 
Noiselessly  she  pushed  aside  the  portieres,  and 
seeing  the  man  on  watch  lying  back  in  his  chair, 
sleeping  soundly,  she  crossed  the  room,  and 
knelt  beside  the  coffin. 

Sobs  shook  her  slight  frame  as  she  laid  her 
face  on  his  cold  breast:  "Oh,  Arthur,  my  be 
loved!"  she  whispered,  caressing  his  cold  face, 
kissing  the  folded  hands. 

"To-morrow  they  will  put  you  out  of  my 
sight,  and  I  shall  be  indeed  bereft.  Oh,  my 
love!  my  love!" 

With  bowed  head  she  wept  silently ;  the  tick 
ing  of  the  clock  sounded  loud  and  awesome  in 
the  unnatural  silence,  "tick-tock,  tick-tock; 
time-going,  time-gone,"  it  seemed  to  say;  the 
breathing  of  the  sleeping  watcher  vibrated  on 
the  still  air  like  an  electric  shock;  a  brooding 
mystery  seemed  to  hang  over  the  dead  form,  it 
appeared  like  sculptured  marble,  which  at  any 
moment  might  become  instinct  with  life;  it  was 
hard  to  realize  that  the  soul  had  gone  from  the 
body,  the  features  were  so  placid,  and  were 
tinged  with  a  roseate  glow  by  the  shades 
on  the  incandescent  light. 

Edith's  nerves  were  keyed  up  to  their  highest 
pitch,  it  seemed  to  her  that  she  must  scream ; 
as  she  pressed  her  lips  to  the  cold  hand,  she  fan 
cied  that  there  was  a  slight  movement  of  the 
fingers;  she  thought  the  eyelids  quivered;  she 
pressed  her  handkerchief  over  her  mouth,  afraid 
she  should  cry  out. 

"Oh,  Arthur!    My  Arthur!     I  know  that  you 


70  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

are  gone  from  me  forever,  and  this  is  but  a  de 
lusive  fancy,  would  it  were  true,  that  I  might 
not  be  so  lonely!"  she  whispered,  gazing  mourn 
fully  at  him. 

The  watcher  stirred  in  his  sleep,  muttering 
low  and  indistinctly.  Edith  started  up  in  wild 
affright,  her  heart  beating  tumultuously ;  to  her 
excited  imagination  the  lights  seemed  to  burn 
dimly,  as  though  about  to  go  out. 

The  watcher  shifted  uneasily  in  his  chair, 
then  slept  quietly  on. 

Edith  turned  toward  her  dear  dead ;  she  would 
once  more  kiss  the  oold  lips,  a  last  farewell,  then 
return  to  her  room. 

An  appalled  scream  shivered  through  the  grue 
some  silence. 

The  watcher  started  from  his  sleep  in  wild 
affright,  and  caught  Edith  as  she  fell  fainting. 

Arthur  Lombard  was  sitting  upright,  staring 
about  with  wondering  eyes.  Dropping  the 
fainting  girl  on  the  nearest  sofa,  the  watcher  rang 
a  hurried  peal,  and  hastily  dispatched  a  servant 
for  a  physician.  He  tremblingly  approached 
Arthur,  shivering  as  he  laid  his  hand  upon  his 
shoulder;  but  managed  to  say  soothingb* : 
"Hadn't  you  best  lie  down?  Arthur  looked  at 
him  in  a  bewildered  way,  seeming  not  in  the 
least  to  understand  him. 

Though  trembling  in  every  limb,  he  gently 
pressed  Arthur  backward;  who  gave  a  tired  sigh, 
muttered  something  which  the  man  did  not 
understand,  and  instantly  sank  into  a  refreshing 
slumber. 

A   moment   later   the    physician    hurried    in, 


FLOATING   FANCIES.  71 

looked  wise,  felt  his  pulse,  tested  his  tempera 
ture,  and  said,  as  though  the  circumstance  was 
of  ordinary  occurrence : 

"Suspended  animation!  He  will  be  all  right 
in  a  few  days;  get  these  things  off  him,  and  get 
him  into  bed  as  gently  as  possible;  do  not  let  a 
hint  of  the  preparation  for  burial  reach  him ;  the 
shock  of  such  knowledge  would  in  all  probability 
actually  kill  him." 

Edith  had  regained  consciousness,  and  with 
timid  hand  touched  his  sleeve.  "You  think  that 
he  will  recover?" 

"Certainly!  Certainly,  Miss  Herford!  I  see 
nothing  to  prevent  it." 

"But  he  looked  and  acted  so  strangely,"  said 
Edith  tremblingly. 

"No  doubt!  No  doubt!  So  would  you  or  I, 
placed  in  the  same  circumstances.  There, 
there!  Run  along  to  bed,  I'll  stay  here  the  rest 
of  the  night,  and  see  that  he  is  all  right,"  gen 
tly  pushing  her  through  the  door  as  he  ceased 
speaking. 

The  next  morning  Arthur  awoke  feeling  com 
fortably  well,  but  very  weak.  The  physician 
was  sitting  beside  the  bed  when  he  opened  his 
eyes;  Arthur  regarded  him  curiously,  a  puzzled 
look  overspreading  his  countenance  as  his  gaze 
wandered  about  the  room.  He  murmured  some 
thing  strange;  receiving  no  reply,  he  said  slowly, 
like  a  child  just  beginning  to  talk:  "Where  am 
I?" 

"In  your  own  bed,  of  course;  where  should 
you  be?" 

He   lay    quiet,  looking    around    curiously,    as 


72  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

though  everything  were  new  to  him.  "Why  am 
I  here?"  still  with  the  same  hesitation,  as 
though  not  certain  as  to  the  meaning  of  his 
words. 

"Where  in  the  mischief  would  you  wish,  or 
expect  to  be,  if  not  in  your  own  home?"  an 
swered  the  doctor  a  trifle  impatiently. 

He  looked  troubled  but  asked  no  more  ques 
tions;  presently  he  lifted  his  long,  white  hand, 
adorned  with  a  handsome  ring,  and  examined  it 
as  though  he  had  never  before  seen  it;  he  seemed 
strangely  unable  to  express  his  feelings. 

"Jove!"  said  the  doctor  later,  "I  wonder  if 
the  fellow  has  lost  his  wits!  It  is  a  pity  if  so, 
for  he  was  one  of  the  shrewdest  of  men,  and  a 
sharp  financier." 

If  Edith  hovered  about  him,  or  caressed  him 
with  gentle  touch,  or  called  him  fond  names,  he 
looked  at  her  in  surprise,  and  gave  not  the 
slightest  return. 

She  would  look  at  him  in  grieved  surprise, 
and  on  one  occasion  asked  him  with  trembling 
lips:  "Do  you  no  longer  love  me,  Arthur?" 

"Love  3^ou?  I — guess — so!  I  do  not  know 
what  you  mean!"  looking  helplessly  at  her. 

She  burst  into  tears  which  were  quickly  sup 
pressed  as  she  coldly  left  the  room.  From  that 
time  she  offered  him  no  caresses,  but  he  seemed 
not  to  notice  the  omission. 

As  Edith  left  the  room  in  anger  he  looked 
after  her,  his  brow  wrinkled  in  perplexity. 

He  was  certainly  in  a  strange  condition;  he 
appeared  to  enjoy  his  meals;  he  slept  well;  but 
he  seemed  to  take  no  interest  in  anything  more 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  73 

than  that — he  did  not  seem  to  understand  that 
there  was  anything  in  which  he  ought  to  take 
an  interest. 

One  day,  as  he  sat  languidly  looking  out  of 
the  window,  Gus  said  to  him  :  "You  will  soon  be 
well  enough  to  attend  to  business!" 

"What  business?"  he  asked  vacantly. 

"Why,  your  banking  business  of  course!"  an 
swered  Gus  in  a  tone  of  disgust;  he  thought  his 
brother  must  be  making  a  pretence  of  not  under 
standing.  Arthur  looked  at  him  blankly  but 
made  no  reply. 

Edith  asked  the  physician:  "What  do  you 
think  of  him?  Is  he  insane?" 

"No!  Neither  insane  nor  idiotic,  mental 
shock!  He  will  recover,  he  is  like  a  child  with 
everything  to  learn." 

It  is  hard  to  tell  what  were  Arthur's  sensa 
tions;  everything  seemed  to  so  strange.  He  was 
told  that  these  were  his  rooms;  he  had  no  recol 
lection  of  ever  having  seen  them  until  the  morn 
ing  when  he  opened  his  eyes  on  the  physician's 
face.  Even  the  language  sounded  strange  to 
him,  though  in  a  hazy  way  he  knew  what  was 
meant;  it  was  as  though  the  sounds  had  been 
imprinted  upon  the  brain  by  some  other  intelli 
gence;  as  a  picture  is  sensitized  upon  the  plate 
by  one  artist  for  another  artist's  use.  The 
business  so  often  mentioned  to  him,  seemed  like 
a  hazy  dream;  something  of  which  some  other 
person  being  cognizant,  had  convej'ed  to  him 
in  a  far-off  manner,  an  impression  of  his  knowl 
edge.  In  the  same  way  he  knew  that  he  was  ex 
pected  to  love  Edith;  but  there  was  a  vague, 


74  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

elusive  intuition  of  some  actual  affinity,  a  feel 
ing  which  he  could  not  shake  off,  and  by  which 
he  knew  that  -whatever  of  feeling  he  possessed 
for  Edith  was  as  the  shadow  to  the  real.  This 
hazy  something,  which  was  not  knowledge,  nor 
yet  a  dream,  strained  his  mental  capacity  in  a 
vain  effort  after  solution.  He  restlessly  tried  to 
gather  up  the  threads  of  that  which  seemed  to 
him  a  new  life. 

As  Gus  was  vice-president  of  the  bank  every 
thing  went  on  smoothly;  but  he  felt  greatly 
annoyed  at  Arthur's  complete  indifference  when 
he  wished  to  consult  with  him  upon  important 
business: 

"You  just  manage  everything,  Gus,  until  I 
feel  more  like  business." 

"You  will  have  to  pull  yourself  together,  old 
man;"  answered  Gus,  regarding  him  with 
troubled  gaze. 

No  sooner  had  Gus  left  the  room  than  all  signs 
of  languidness  disappeared;  he  muttered  angrily 
to  himself;  he  paced  up  and  down  the  floor;  he 
tore  the  books  from  the  shelves  in  frantic  desire 
for  something  which  would  enlighten  him  on 
these  things  which  seemed  so  hazy  and  bewilder 
ing;  he  threw  the  book  he  was  holding  from 
him  in  an  excess  of  rage.  Letters  and  words 
had  a  strangely  familiar  look,  and  yet — the  men 
tal  strain  was  fearful — it  was  like  hunting  for 
faces  whose  lineaments  were  long  since  forgotten  ; 
like  trying  to  decipher  a  faded  picture  imprinted 
in  dim  ink  by  some  person  unknown;  and  feel 
ing,  withal,  that  a  perfect  understanding  of  the 
dim  lights  and  shadows  was  expected. 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  75 

That  which  gave  him  a  still  more  restless  pain 
was  that  other  tantalizing  consciousness  which 
eluded  him,  though  almost  touching  his  memory. 
Every  hour  when  alone  was  feverishly  employed 
in  trying  to  recall  that  which  seemed  to  him  like 
a  lost  treasure.  He  listened  to  every  scrap  of 
conversation,  he  watched  the  expression  of  every 
face,  the  gestures  of  every  person.  A  sentence 
which  puzzled  him  he  would  repeat  over  and 
over  again,  until  he  had  fixed  it  firmly  in  his 
mind;  then  the  full  meaning  was  hunted  out  as 
soon  as  he  was  alone. 

Edith  often  looked  at  him  in  wondering  sur 
prise;  he  seemed  not  in  the  least  like  the  man 
whom  she  had  loved;  it  is  true  the  features  were 
the  same,  but — where  was  the  cultivated  ease  of 
manner,  where  the  grace  which  had  been  so  attrac 
tive;  the  clear,  open  expression  of  countenance 
which  had  distinguished  the  man  she  loved 
above  his  fellows?  This  discontented,  rebellious 
soul  looked  out  from  under  frowning  brows;  the 
brilliant  blue  eyes  had  a  wary,  suspicious  look; 
the  movements  were  awkward,  the  speech  un 
couth. 

"Oh,  Gus,  how  changed  he  is!"  cried  Edith. 

"Yes,  I  scarcely  know  what  to  do;  if  one 
could  but  wake  him  in  some  way!"  said  Gus, 
sadly. 

A  year  or  more  passed  by;  as  he  regained 
strength  he  developed  Strange  desires;  he  ab 
sented  himself  from  home  for  days  together. 

Edith  remonstrated:  "Why  do  you  do  so, 
Arthur?" 

He   answered   her    coarsely,    like    an    undis- 


76  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

ciplined  youth:  "I  do  not  think  I  need  a 
keeper!" 

Edith  burst  into  tears:  "I  did  not  mean  that; 
but  you  know — that — that — I  am  lonely  when 
you  are  away,"  she  faltered. 

A  half-frightened  look  passed  over  his  face, 
and  was  gone  instantly,  to  be  succeeded  by  a 
perplexed  scowl. 

"You  act  as  though  you  owned  me!"  he  said 
brutally. 

Edith  regarded  him  in  pained  surprise : 
"Arthur!"  The  single  word  expressed  much. 

He  left  the  house,  slamming  the  door  after 
himself. 

He  began  about  this  time  assuming  control  of 
the  business;  things  seemed  to  go  wrong  from 
that  hour,  and  he  appeared  to  have  lost  all  judg 
ment;  heavy  losses  followed  in  rapid  succession. 
He  angrily  resented  advice,  and  Gus  became  so 
annoyed  that  he  took  him  to  task. 

"See  here,  old  man!  You  are  going  it  a  bit 
wild — you  had  best  check  up!" 

Arthur's  moody  eyes  lit  up  with  an  angry 
fiamo:  "Any  person  would  think  that  you  had 
the  whole  say  so,"  he  sneered. 

"You  know,  Arthur,  that  I  have  no  wish  to 
control,  except  for  the  mutual  good.  Great 
heaven,  Arthur!  You  are  ruining  us!"  cried 
Gus,  aggravated  into  speaking  his  mind. 

Arthur  looked  moodily  down,  and  like  a  child 
caught  in  some  misdemeanor,  grumbled  out: 
"Anjr  person  is  liable  to  make  a  mistake." 

Gus  looked  at  him  curiously:  "I've  a  great 
notion  to  pull  out;  I  do  not  propose  getting 


FLOATING   FANCIES.  77 

caught  under  the  -wreck  when  the  crash  comes," 
said  he  angrily. 

"Oh,  well,  get  some  one  to  do  the  work  in  my 
place,  if  you  feel  so  terribly  worried,"  quite  as 
angrily  retorted  Arthur. 

A  couple  of  weeks  later  Gus  did  put  another 
man  into  the  office;  Arthur  seemed  rather  re 
lieved  than  otherwise. 

Gus  was  talking  to  Edith  a  few  days  later; 
they  had  been  speaking  of  Arthur,  and  incident 
ally  of  Wilbur  the  new  man  : 

"He  seems  to  understand  his  business;  he  has 
a  way  of  going  at  it,  as  though  he  had  been  in 
that  office  all  his  life;  actual!}',  as  he  sank  into 
that  big,  green  chair,  he  sighed  with  satisfac 
tion." 

"Tell  me  how  he  looks,"  said  Edith. 

"Oh,  tall  and  muscular;  his  hair  is  as  black 
as  the  proverbial  crow's  wing;  the  most  piercing 
black  eyes  that  I  ever  saw;  his  looks  are  rather 
fierce  and  briga:idish,  but  his  manner  is  most 
gentle  and  courteous;  his  voice  is  very  sweet, 
the  words  and  tones  of  a  cultured  man." 

"You  make  me  very  curious  to  see  him,"  an 
swered  Edith. 

"He  interests  me  strangely;  it  seems  as 
though  I  had  known  him  at  some  former  time, 
but  I  cannot  place  him." 

"How  does  Arthur  take  it?" 

"That  is  strangest  of  all;  he  glowers  at  him 
as  though  he  hated  him  mortally;  yet  he  obeys 
every  suggestion  of  Wilbur's  as  though  he  were 
afraid  of  him." 

Edith  did  not  reply;  she  was  conscious  of  a 


78  FLOATING   FANCIES. 

feeling  of  repulsion  toward  Arthur,  which  had 
been  growing  in  force  for  the  last  year;  she  no 
longer  had  the  slightest  affection  for  him ;  if  he 
laid  his  hand  upon  her  shoulder,  even  his  near 
proximity  would  send  a  shudder  through  her 
whole  being.  She  felt  ashamed  and  guilty  that 
such  was  the  case,  and  tried  to  conceal  the  fact. 
A  feverish  longing  possessed  her  to  see  Wilbur; 
she  was  also  ashamed  of  this  feeling,  and  men 
tally  took  herself  to  task  for  the  unmaidenly 
desire. 

As  to  Arthur,  everything  worried  him ;  he  was 
restless  and  unhappy;  he  seemed  to  have  no  care 
as  to  the  success  of  the  business;  instead,  he 
burned  with  a  wild  desire  to  throw  the  money 
away;  anything,  any  wa3r,  so  as  to  be  free  from 
care 'and  thought.  He  had  a  passionate  wish  to 
roam,  to  get  away  from  the  haunts  of  men  into 
the  green  woods;  to  lie  on  his  back  and  look  up 
at  the  blue  skies,  listening  to  the  rustle  of  the 
leaves;  it  smoothed  the  frown  from  his  moody 
brow,  and  seemed  to  bring  that  floating  affinity 
nearer  his  mental  vision;  at  times  it  came  so 
near  that  with  a  cry  he  would  start  up  and  fling 
his  arms  wide  with  a  hoarse  cry  of  mad  im 
potence,  as  it  faded  delusively.  He  hated  the 
conventionalities  of  society;  he  longed  to  do 
someting  outre,  to  shock  those  with  whom  he 
came  into  contact  out  of  their  calm;  he  looked 
with  hatred  upon  all  the  refinements  of  life,  as 
so  many  limitations,  so  many  bars  to  personal 
enjoyment. 

Through  all  the  fierce  rebellion  ran  a  hazy 
admonition:  "You  ought  to  like  these  things,  it 


FLOATING   FANCIES.  79 

is  expected  of  you;  your  position  requires  it. " 
Accompanying  these  thoughts  like  a  wierd 
shadow  was  that  intangible — what  was  it?  A 
delusion,  a  dream,  or  the  shadow  of  a  memory? 
A  few  days  after  Wilbur  came,  Gus  one  even 
ing  invited  him  to  go  home  with  them:  "I  wish 
to  introduce  you  to  Arthur's  ward,  Edith,"  he 
said. 

"Edith!  Edith!"  said  Wilbur  dreamily;  "I 
seem  to  see  her — tall,  fair — with  the  purity  of 
the  lily — "  He  paused,  passing  his  hand  over 
his  brow,  with  a  deep  sigh. 

Gus  stared  at  him  in  amazement;  "Do  you 
know  her?"  he  asked  brusquely. 

"No!  no!  I  have  sometimes  dreamed  of  her, 
I  think;  I  cannot  recall  what  it  is — •"  again  he 
sighed  deeply ;  he  appeared  like  one  awakening 
from  sleep. 

Arthur  looked  at  him,  his  brows  bent  moodily. 
Gus  said  nothing,  but  thought  to  himself; 
"Well,  here  is  a  pair  of  them!"  .As  they  were 
walking  slowly  homeward,  through  the  level 
glow  of  the  sunset,  a  woman  brushed  past  them ; 
she  lifted  her  face  to  look  at  Wilbur,  a  look  in 
which  hate  mingled  strangely  with  love.  Her 
eyes  were  like  midnight,  but  a  midnight  lighted 
by  a  reddish  glow,  the  reflection  of  the  fires 
within;  inky  black  brows,  and  hair  of  the  same 
shade  falling  low  on  a  forehead  as  colorless  as 
marble.  A  face  to  glow  with  the  fiercest  aban 
donment  of  love,  or  burn  with  the  seething  fires 
of  hate;  her  form  was  of  voluptuous  beauty,  a 
something  strange  and  foreign  in  the  ensemble. 


80  FLOATING   FANCIES. 

Arthur  stopped  abruptly,  giving  vent  to  a 
strange,  fierce  cry : 

"Andalusia!  Andalusia!"  The  sound  was  like 
the  voice  of  one  in  anguish.  She  swept  him  a 
burning  glance,  to  which  he  replied  in  a  strange 
language,  gesticulating  rapidly;  with  a  look  of 
wild  amazement  she  passed  on,  and  was  lost  to 
sight  around  a  street  corner. 

Gus  looked  his  displeasure:  "I would  not  stop 
to  talk  with  one  of  that  kind  on  the  street;  who 
is  she?" 

Arthur  looked  at  him  as  though  he  did  not 
understand,  but  when  the  question  was  repeated, 
he  replied  absently: 

"No;  no;  I  must  have  been  mistaken!" 

Gus  of  course  thought  that  he  was  telling  an 
untruth;  he  judged  her  some  disreputable 
woman  of  Arthur's  acquaintance.  "Oh,  it  is  all 
right,  I  do  not  blame  you  for  being  ashamed  of 
it!"  he  answered  sarcastically. 

Arthur  shot  him  a  look  of  hatred  from  under 
moody  brows,  but  made  no  reply.  Wilbur 
seemed  feverishly  eager  to  reach  their  destina 
tion,  and  in  preoccupied  thought  had  hurried 
lorward  until  he  was  considerably  in  advance  of 
the  others,  consequently  observed  nothing. 

When  Gus  introduced  Wilbur  to  Edith,  he 
blushed  and  stammered  awkwardly;  she  was  no 
less  embarrassed.  Throughout  the  whole  even 
ing  Wilbur  scarcely  took  his  eyes  from  her  face; 
once,  inadvertently,  he  called  her  Edith;  she 
blushed  furiously,  and  Gus  gave  him  a  look  of 
displeasure,  which  he  did  not  observe. 

Later  in  the  evening  Gus  said  to  her:  "I  do 


FLOATING   FANCIES.  81 

not  like  Wilbur's  familiarity  on  so  short  an 
acquaintance." 

Edith  hesitated  a  moment  before  answering: 
"I  do  not  think  it  was  intentional,  Gus,  doesn't 
he  remind  you  of  some  other  person?" 

"Yes;  but  I  can  never  say  who  it  is." 

They  turned  to  look  at  him,  as  he  sat  talking 
to  Arthur;  the  contrast  between  the  two  was 
very  marked.  Arthur  was  slouchingly  leaning 
over  the  table;  his  carelessness  of  attire,  an  in 
definable  coarseness  of  look  and  action,  con 
trasted  most  unfavorably  with  Wilbur's  refined 
manner,  the  neatness  of  his  person,  and  the  high 
thought  written  in  characters  unmistakable  upon 
his  countenance;  yet  the  features  of  Arthur 
were  far  more  regular,  his  physique  finer. 

Edith  sighed.     Gus  answered  her  thought. 

"Yes;  he  has  changed  awfully;  I  doubt  his 
ever  being  quite  himself  again'." 

"He  seems  an  entirely  different  person;  Mr. 
Wilbur  is  much  more  as  Arthur  used  to  be  than 
Arthur  himself." 

Gus  started  in  amazement:  "By  Jove!  That  is 
so!  Ever  since  he  came  it  has  puzzled  me  to 
know  who  he  was  like." 

They  had  been  busying  themselves  over  the 
tea  things  as  they  talked,  and  now  brought  them 
forward.  As  they  sipped  their  tea  Gus  endeav 
ored  to  lead  the  conversation  toward  Wilbur's 
former  life,  but  he  plainly  evaded  the  subject. 
Arthur  the  whole  evening  sat  moodily  gnawing 
his  mustache,  or  paced  the  floor  restlessly.  It 
was  late  when  Wilbur  took  his  departure. 

For  a  long  time  Gus  could  hear  Arthur  mov- 


83  FLOATING   FANCIES. 

ing  about  his  room,  but  at  last  he  sank  into 
dreamy  slumber,  in  which  Arthur  and  Wilbur 
were  strangely  intermingled,  once  starting  up 
wide  awake  as  he  fancied  he  heard  the  hall  door 
close.  He  lay  a  few  minutes  with  every  nerve 
quivering,  afraid  of — he  knew  not  what;  then 
took  himself  to  task  for  being  so  foolish,  and 
again  dropped  off  to  sleep. 

Arthur  did  not  appear  in  the  morning;  but 
his  course  was  so  erratic  that  this  occasioned  no 
surprise;  but  when  a  week,  two  weeks  went  by 
without  his  return,  Gus  began  to  be  seriously 
alarmed. 

Wilbur  proved  a  treasure;  everything  went  on 
in  the  most  methodical  manner;  he  seemed  to 
understand  every  detail  of  the  business;  to  know 
where  papers  and  records  were  kept,  of  which 
others  had  no  knowledge;  moreover  he  seemed 
to  enjoy  his  work. 

The  residence  also,  seemed  strangely  familiar 
to  him ;  on  more  than  one  occasion  he  surprised 
them  by  mentioning  articles  placed  in  rooms  of 
which  he  was  supposed  to  know  nothing. 

One  evening  Gus  asked  him:  "Were  you  ever 
in  that  room?" 

Wilbur  looked  bewildered:  "I  think  not — I 
do  not  know,"  he  said  slowly. 

"If  not,  how  do  you  know  where  that  picture 
is  placed,  and  the  subject  of  the  painting?" 

They  had  been  talking  of  the  works  of  a  cer 
tain  master,  and  Wilbur  mentioned  a  painting 
which  hung  in  Arthur's  room. 

He  rested  his  head  upon  his  hand  in  an  atti 
tude  familiar  to  both ;  "I  do  not  know;  I  seem 


FLOATING   FANCIES.  83 

to  see  it,  that  is  all  that  I  can  tell  you, "  he  an 
swered  in  a  sad  tone. 

Gus  looked  at  Edith  questioniugly ;  she  did 
not  notice  him,  her  eyes  were  fixed  upon  Wilbur. 

The  next  morning  as  they  were  sitting  down 
to  breakfast,  Arthur  returned.  Edith  and  Gus 
rose  to  their  feet,  simultaneously;  he  was  dirty, 
and  disheveled,  his  clothing  tattered  and  soiled  ; 
he  had  the  look  of  a  tramp.  "Well!  You  are  a 
sight,  and  no  mistake!  Where  have  you  been?" 
said  Gus  laughingly. 

His  appearance  was  really  ludicrous;  he  tried 
to  pass  it  off  lightly,  but  a  heavy  frown  belied 
his  flippant  manner. 

"Who  made  you  your  brother's  keeper?" 

"Keally,  I  do  not  know  who  appointed  me, 
but  you  look  as  though  you  were  in  need  of 
some  person  to  fill  that  position,"  retorted  Gus. 

Half  defiantly  he  replied:  "With  your  kind 
permission,  I'll  take  some  breakfast,"  tossing 
his  hat  on  the  floor,  as  he  seated  himself  at  the 
table. 

Edith  had  not  spoken,  but  looked  at  him  in 
amazement  and  aversion.  Gus  laughed  de 
risively:  "I  say,  aren't  you  forgetting  some 
thing,  old  fellow?"  laying  his  hand  affectionately 
on  his  shoulder. 

"What's  wrong,  now?"  looking  scowlingly  at 
him. 

Gus  made  no  reply  in  words,  but  looked  sig 
nificantly  at  his  grimy  hands;  he  frowned  still 
more  angrily ;  jerked  himself  out  of  his  chair, 
and  went  to  his  room  muttering :  "Confounded 


84  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

bore!     Mind    his   own   business!"    like   an   un 
trained,  overgrown  boy. 

Edith  could  scarcely  restrain  her  tears.  "Is 
it  not  horrible?"  she  said  with  quivering  lips. 

"Yes  it  is,  but  we  must  overlook  it  as  much  as 
possible;  he  is  to  be  pitied;  he  has  never  been 
quite  right  since — "  ho  paused  significantly. 

"I  know!  But  Gus,  it  makes  me  shudder  to 
think  of  fulfilling  my  engagement  to  him;  I  just 
cannot — "  she  paused,  a  burning  blush  spread 
ing  over  her  face;  she  had  never  before  spoken 
of  it  to  Gus. 

He  sat  thoughtfully  toying  with  his  fork  for 
a  few  minutes: 

"Do  you  think  that  he  wishes  it?" 

"No,  I  do  not;  he  never  offers  me  the  slight 
est  token  of  affection,  for  which  I  am  indeed 
grateful;  truly,  I  do  not  believe  that  he  ever 
thinks  of  it."  She  laughed  in  an  embarrassed 
manner. 

"Taking  it  altogether,  Wilbur,  Arthur,  and — 
ourselves,  it's  a  queer  business." 

Edith  flushed  a  fiery  red;  but  if  she  intended 
an  answer,  which  is  doubtful,  Arthur's  return 
ing  step  put  an  end  to  the  conversation.  He  at 
once  seated  himself  at  the  table,  and  ate  like  one 
famished.  A  few  evenings  later  Wilbur  again 
came  to  dinner  with  Arthur  and  Gus.  The  air 
was  very  war;^  and  pleasant,  and  after  dinner 
they  all  went  into  the  sitting  room ;  the  windows 
opened  down  to  the  floor,  and  were  flung  wide 
to  admit  the  sweet,  fresh  evening  air ;  a  long  vine- 
draped  porch  ran  along  the  whole  front  of  the 
house. 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  85 

"Do  not  have  lights,  they  call  the  insects,  and 
it  is  much  pleasanter  to  sit  on  the  porch,"  said 
Edith. 

Seated  there,  a  strange  silence  fell  over  them ; 
the  full  moon  rode  through  the  sky  like  a  stately 
silver  ship;  a  faint  breeze  stirred  the  leaves  on 
the  vines,  and  cast  fitful  arabesques  on  the  floor; 
a  cricket  chirped  lonesomely  in  the  grass;  dark 
shadows  lay  weirdly  across  the  winding  walks. 
Wilbur  sat  close  to  Edith,  the  shadows  half  en 
veloping  them;  in  their  concealment  his  hand 
had  sought  ters,  and  clasped  it  fondly.  Arthur 
sat  at  the  far  end  of  the  porch,  in  the  densest 
gloom;  only  the  fiery  tip  of  his  cigar  betraying 
his  presence.  Gus  lay  stretched  on  a  wooden 
settee,  his  eyes  fixed  dreamily  on  a  few  light, 
fleecy  clouds  showing  through  a  break  in  the 
vines. 

There  was  a  faint  rustling  sound  just  where 
the  foliage  grew  the  most  dense;  the  leaves  were 
cautiously  parted,  and  a  pallid,  vengeful  face 
looked  through.  The  intruder  seemed  as  much 
surprised  as  were  the  group  seated  there;  she 
had  evidently  expected  to  find  the  porch  un- 
tenanted,  and  the  sight  revealed  seemed  to  drive 
her  to  a  frenzy  of  madness ;  a  ray  of  moonlight 
fell  upon  the  clasped  hands  of  Edith  and  Wil 
bur,  also  showing  the  look  of  devotion  upon 
Wilbur's  face,  as  he  was  bending  toward  her  in 
the  act  of  speaking. 

There  was  a  flash,  the  report  of  a  pistol,  in 
termingled  with  wild  screams,  and  a  hoarse, 
strange  cry  from  Arthur : 

"Andalusia!     Andalusia!"     Then,    something 


86  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

•wildly,  rapidly  spoken  in  a  strange  language; 
the  vengeful,  defiant  air  speedily  changing  to 
wonder  and  amazement;  tones  of  fierce  remon 
strance  from  him,  and  scornful  disbelief  from 
her;  then  a  word  or  two  of  pleading;  a  light  in 
her  eyes  like  blazing  stars,  and  obeying  his  fierce 
gestures  she  slipped  away  among  the  winding 
walks,  shadowy  trees  and  shrubbery. 

It  has  taken  some  time  to  tell  all  this,  but  the 
happening  was  so  rapid  that  :none  save  Gus  saw 
or  heard  aught  that  passed  between  Arthur  and 
the  strange  woman. 

Wilbur  was  bending  over  the  half-fainting 
Edith,  whispering  impassioned  words  in  her  ear, 
caution  thrown  to  the  winds  on  the  near  ap 
proach  of  danger. 

Gus  for  a  moment  gazed  speechless  and 
motionless,  amazed  at  the  fierce  gestures,  and 
the  strange  language;  and  when  he  would  have 
detained  the  woman,  Arthur  angrily  threw  him 
backward,  saying:  "Let  her  alone!  She  made  a 
mistake!" 

"A  strange  mistake,  I  take  it!"  hotly  replied 
Gus. 

"What  is  the  use  of  raising  more  disturbance? 
No  one  is  hurt!  She  thought  that  I  was  sittiing 
there  beside  Edith." 

"Suppose  you  were?  Why  should  she  shoot 
you?  It  looks  very  peculiar!"  said  Gus  angrily. 

Arthur  made  no  reply,  but  strode  away  into 
the  darkness  of  the  shrubbery. 

Edith  and  Wilbur  had  entered  the  house,  and 
their  low  tones,  agitated  conversation,  reached 
Gus  indistinctly  as  he  stood  irresolute;  he  had 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  87 

sent  the  servants  back  to  their  places,  and  their 
frightened  tones  reached  him  faintly;  after 
some  seconds'  indecision  he  plunged  off  down  the 
path  which  Arthur  had  taken,  but  no  trace  of 
him  or  the  woman  could  he  find. 

It  was  fully  an  hour  before  he  returned  to  the 
house,  feeling  angry  that  he  was  no  wiser  than 
when  he  started ;  he  was  the  more  angry  that  he 
did  not  know  what  he  expected  to  find.  His 
astonishment  was  great  to  find  Arthur  seated  in 
the  self  same  place  smoking  as  though  nothing 
out  of  the  ordinary  had  happened. 

"Well,  I  declare!  I  have  been  looking  every 
where  for  you;"  he  said. 

"Yes!  You  have  found  me,  now  what  will 
you  have?" 

It  had  seemed  during  the  surprise  and  heat  of 
anger  easy  enough  to  ask  him  what  all  this  mys 
tery  meant;  but  looking  Arthur  in  the  face;  lis 
tening  to  his  cool,  sneering  tones,  it  was  far 
from  easy ;  so  he  hesitated  and  stammered  out : 
"I  don't  understand  this  business  at  all." 

Arthur  broke  in:  "My  dear  Gus,  neither  do 
I." 

His  tone  implied  so  much  more  than  the  words 
that  Gus  was  effectually  silenced. 

They  soon  separated  for  the  night;  Wilbur 
had  gone  home  half  an  hour  before,  and  Edith 
had  retired  to  her  room,  her  nerves  in  a  tumult 
over  the  occurrences  of  the  evening;  but  through 
all  the  fright  and  horror  ran  a  thrill  of  sweet 
ness. 

Wilbur  had  whispered  in  her  ear,  as  she  lay 


88  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

half  fainting:  "My  love!  Do  not  be  frightened; 
I  will  protect  you!" 

"Who  could  it  be?  I  am  so  frightened!"  cling 
ing  to  his  hand. 

"It  is  all  past  now,  dear;  I  think  it  must  have 
been  some  crazy  person." 

For  another  week  things  went  on  much  as 
usual,  except  that  Gus  was  now  positive  that 
Arthur  went  out  each  night  at  about  half-past 
twelve ;  not  returning  until  morning,  alwaj's 
haggard  and  worn,  and  often  in  the  most  furious 
mood.  Frequently  he  glared  at  Wilbur  as 
though  he  would  like  to  murder  him ;  but  if 
Wilbur  turned,  or  he  knew  himself  to  be  observed, 
his  manner  changed  completely.  He  seemed 
anxious  to  throw  Edith  and  Wilbur  together; 
and  yet,  as  they  conversed  or  sat  in  silent  con 
tentment  he  would  restlessly  pace  the  floor,  and 
finally  fling  himself  out  of  the  room  angrily. 

Of  a  sudden  he  changed  entirely ;  he  remained 
at  home  of  nights,  went  to  the  bank  early  in  the 
morning,  and  remained  until  the  hour  of  clos 
ing,  seemingly  intent  upon  a  thorough  under 
standing  of  every  phase  of  the  business,  but  at 
times  showing  such  a  strange  forgetfulness — or 
ignorance — that  Wilbur  would  pause,  and  look 
at  him  in  astonishment. 

It  was  on  WTednesdaj',  there  were  papers  miss 
ing,  relating  to  some  securities;  Gus  and  Authur 
had  been  vainly  seeking  them  all  the  morning; 
finally  Gus  went  over  to  Wilbur's  desk  and 
asked,  more  because  he  was  vexed  and  at  a  losa 
as  to  what  to  do,  than  for  anjr  other  reason : 

"Wilbur,  do  you  know  anything  about  those 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  89 

Securities?"  mentioning  the  particular  ones  he 
wished. 

Without  even  pausing  in  his  work  Wilbur  re 
plied,  naming  the  number  of  the  drawer  in  the 
security  vault  where  he  would  find  them. 

Gus  made  him  no  reply,  but  sought  the 
drawer  described,  and  returned  with  the  papers. 

He  walked  up  to  Wilbur,  followed  by  Arthur: 

"Will  you  explain  to  me  how  you  knew  where 
those  securities  were?  After  3rou  told  where 
they  were,  I  remember  placing  them  there;  and 
I  know  that  they  have  not  been  removed  for  over 
a  year,  long  before  you  came  here — "  he  paused 
•ignificantly. 

Wilbur  looked  up  from  his  work  in  complete 
bewilderment: 

"I  do  not  know  how  I  know  it,  but  it  is  all 
clear  to  me;  the  moment  you  mention  a  thing  I 
seem  to  see  it,  and  a  long-stored  knowledge 
seems  instantly  to  step  forth.  I  seem  to  know 
every  crevice  in  these  stones ;  every  bolt,  bar 
and  drawer;  but  how  I  gained  that  knowledge  I 
can  not  tell,  because — I  do  not  know." 

As  he  talked  he  was  gazing  straight  before 
him,  with  a  strange,  unseeing  look. 

"It  is  not  so  strange  that  you  have  the  knowl 
edge — it  is  easy  to  get,  if  one  pokes  his  nose  into 
everything;  but  it  is  hard  to  understand  why  I 
cannot  remember  anything  concerning  the  busi 
ness,"  said  Arthur  disagreeably. 

"It  is  no  use  quarreling!"  said  Gus,  but  it 
was  evident  that  he  was  both  puzzled  and 
annoyed. 

That  night  Gus  again  heard  Arthur  stealthily 


90  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

leaving  the  house,  and  he  did  not  return  until 
noon  of  the  next  day.  He  remained  at  the  bank 
from  that  time  until  after  the  hour  for  closing, 
remarking  that  he  had  correspondence  which  he 
wished  to  finish;  having  completed  it,  he  called 
the  watchman  and  sent  him  to  post  the  letters, 
saying  that  he  would  remain  on  watch  until  his 
return ;  as  soon  as  he  came  back,  Arthur  went 
home. 

He  seemed  moody  and  distrait  all  the  evening, 
and  several  times  Gus  caught  him  glaring  at 
Wilbur  with  the  unmistakable  light  of  hatred 
in  his  eyes.  "Wilbur  spent  nearly  all  of  his 
evenings  with  Edith,  and  made  no  secret  of  his 
devotion  to  her.  Gus  was  puzzled  to  account 
for  Arthur's  manner  toward  Wilbur;  that  he 
hated  him  was  very  evident,  but  it  certainly  was 
not  from  jealousy,  as  he  showed  not  the  slightest 
love  for  Edith;  on  the  contrary,  he  appeared 
actually  to  dislike  and  avoid  her.  Several  times 
during  the  evening  he  sank  into  such  gloomy  ab 
straction  as  not  to  notice  when  he  was  addressed ; 
at  an  early  hour  he  left  the  parlor  and  went  to 
his  room,  with  not  even  an  excuse  or  a  good 
night. 

Edith  looked  pained,  but  Gus  was  too  out 
spoken  to  keep  silence: 

"I  do  believe  that  Arthur  is  going  insane;  I 
never  saw  such  a  change  in  any  one!" 

He  was  again  absent  the  next  morning;  but 
he  was  away  so  frequently  that  no  one  even 
spoke  of  it;  but  when  a  week  passed  without  his 
return  Gus  began  to  be  vaguely  alarmed  and 
suspicious;  the  reason  for  the  latter  feeling 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  91 

being  that  Arthur  had  drawn  large  sums  of 
money  on  his  personal  check  within  the  previous 
week.  Only  the  day  before  this  last  departure 
he  had  taken  out  several  thousand  dollars. 

On  his  way  to  his  sleeping  room  that  night, 
Gus,  from  some  impulse  unexplainable,  tried  the 
door  of  Arthur's  room.  He  did  not  know  what 
he  expected  to  discover,  he  was  simply  uneasy. 

To  his  surprise  he  found  the  door  unlocked ; 
heretofore  Arthur  had  been  more  than  careful  to 
keep  his  privacy  secure.  Gus  entered  and 
turned  on  the  light,  everything  seemed  as  usual; 
he  opened  the  door  of  the  wardrobe,  and  looked 
within,  it  gave  him  a  start  to  find  it  empty. 
Gus  turned  giddy ;  had  his  prediction  come 
true?  A  prophecy  which  was  born  of  vexation, 
instead  of  insight.  Arthur  had  taken  away  all 
of  his  clothing;  no  interpretation  could  be  put 
upon  that  action,  but  that  he  intended  to  aban 
don  his  home;  but  why  should  he  do  so,  unless 
mentally  unbalanced? 

As  he  turned  to  extinguish  the  light  he  saw, 
placed  conspicuously  on  the  dresser,  a  letter; 
trembling  with  undefinable  fear  he  caught  it  up; 
without  address  it  abruptly  commenced: 

"When  you  find  this  I  shall  be  far  away.  I 
have  taken  five  thousand  dollars  in  cash  and  the 
diamonds  which  were  in  my  safe-deposit 
drawer,  which  amount  to  twenty  thousand  more. 
The  balance  of  the  money  and  the  real  estate  I 
have  turned  over  to  Wilbur;  I  hate  him,  but  he 
has  a  right  to  the  property. 


92  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

"You  do  not  understand,  and  will  wonder;  I 
will  explain. 

"You  remember  the  time  when,  to  all  appear 
ances,  Arthur  Lombard  dropped  dead;  amid 
great,  apparent  grief,  and  much  excitement  he 
was  carried  to  this  house  where  he  lay  silent  and 
motionless  for  three  days. 

"At  the  same  instant  in  which  he  fell  in  his 
elegantly  appointed  office,  almost  in  the  same 
manner,  fell  Antoni  Petronelli,  one  of  a  band  of 
roving  gypsies,  who  dwelt  in  a  fair  southern 
country,  with  no  covering  save  the  waving  arms 
of  the  forest  trees,  or  at  most  a  house  of  boughs 
for  shelter  at  night  or  in  storm.  As  Edith 
and  Gus  mourned  over  Arthur  Lombard,  so 
Andalusia  Varana  mourned  over  Antoni — yet  not 
the  same — the  cool  blood  of  your  race  cannot 
realize  the  fierce  love  and  desperate  grief  of  the 
untrammeled  children  of  the  South. 

"At  the  very  instant  that  Arthur  Lombard 
awoke  to  life  again,  that  same  instant  arose  as 
one  from  the  dead,  Antoni  Petronelli. 

"Now  comes  the  really  strange,  and  tragic 
part  of  the  story.  When  these  two  souls  were 
loosed  from  the  body  and  entered  space,  they 
drifted  without  knowledge  of  their  destination ; 
but  that  an  intelligent  power  directed  them  is 
proved  by  this;  although  so  far  apart,  the  soul 
of  Arthur  Lombard  sought  the  body  of  the 
g3rpsy  Petronelli ;  and  the  spirit  of  Petronelli 
was  forced  to  enter  the  effeminate  body  of 
Arthur  Lombard. 

"I  can  speak  only  of  my  own  impression;  I, 
the  soul  of  the  gypsy,  Petronelli,  and  the  body 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  !»3 

of  the  aesthetic  banker,  Arthur  Lombard.  When 
I  regained  consciousness  I  had  but  a  confused 
mingling  of  ideas;  some  things — impressions, 
knowledge,  thoughts — which  had  been  the  prop 
erty  of  Lombard,  haunted  me;  it  was  as  though 
these  things  had  been  photographed  on  the 
brain,  to  be  brought  forth  and  used  by  the  occu 
pant  of  the  body  as  occasion  required.  I  did 
not  understand  the  use  of  this  knowledge;  I 
detested  the  fair-skinned  body;  I  hated  the 
limitations  of  his  life — which  you  call  refine 
ments;  the  greatest  trial  of  all  was  that  for  a 
long  time  I  did  not  know  what  I  was  fighting 
against.  I  knew  only  that  I  was  miserably  un 
happy. 

"I  hated  the  soft,  cool  caresses  of  Edith;  I 
was  tormented  with  a  misty  memory' — which  I 
could  not  drive  from  my  mind — of  arms  which 
had  encircled  my  neck,  and  had  set  my  being  on 
fire.  I  hated  the  reproof  in  Edith's  calm  eyes, 
and  the  low  voice  which  grew  so  cool  as  I  pushed 
away  her  hands,  or  answered  her  roughly ;  she 
was  offended  in  such  a  grand,  cold  way.  My 
Andalusia  would  have  upbraided  me  with  hot 
words,  uttered  in  her  shrill,  sweet  voice;  she 
would  have  given  me  blow  for  blow,  then  we 
should  have  kissed  with  fond  words,  and  loved 
better  than  ever.  I  hated  the  house  with  its 
elegant  furnishings,  its  heavy,  hot  carpets,  and 
close,  stifling  atmosphere. 

"I  longed  for  the  cool,  leafy  woods;  for  the 
carpet  of  green  grass.  I  felt  an  insane  desire  to 
crush  the  globes  on  the  incandescent  lights, 
which  parodied  the  light  of  the  moon;  that  soft 


94  FLOATING   FANCIES. 

southern  moon,  which,  with  its  coterie  of  stars, 
looked  down  upon  my  bed  of  boughs  while  I 
slept  in  that  happy  time  before  disaster  came. 

"For  a  long  time  I  could  not  put  these  feel 
ings  into  words,  or  even  into  thoughts;  I  knew 
only  that  these  things  I  hated,  and  I  madly  de 
sired  to  get  away;  it  was  like  the  restlessness  of 
some  caged  animal.  During  all  of  this  time 
those  teachings  which  had  left  their  impression 
upon  the  brain  matter  tortured  me,  suggesting 
and  urging  other  thoughts  so  at  variance  with 
those  rebellious  feelings  that  it  almost  drove  me 
mad. 

"Then  when  Wilbur  came  it  seemed  as  though 
my  soul  must  leap  out  of  the  hateful  body  which 
held  it  in  limitation.  Instantly  I  recognized  mj* 
own,  my  hands  have  many  times  itched  to  throt 
tle  the  usurper  of  my  person,  so  that  I  might 
seize  that  which  belonged  by  right  to  me.  Oh, 
how  I  hate  this  milk-and-water  flesh!  These 
soft  muscles,  and  dainty  palms! 

"With  his  coming — Wilbur,  by  the  way,  is 
but  an  assumed  name — it  seemed  to  give  that 
hazy  sense  of  something  gone  before,  something 
half  remembered,  like  a  dream  of  the  night — a 
shock.  I  concentrated  every  effort  of  my  being 
until  scenes  from  my  former  life  began  to  float 
before  my  mental  vision;  dense  woods,  with 
leaves  of  a  glossy,  dark  green;  lilies  standing 
tall  and  white ;  a  great  bay  of  water  reflecting 
the  blue  of  a  cloudless  sky  and  the  green  of  the 
trees  on  its  placid  bosom.  There  was  ever  the 
vague  shadow  of  a  form  which  filled  my  veins 
with  fire,  and  my  whole  soul  with  longing,  but 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  95 

it  lloated  just  beyond  my  mental  grasp.  Many  a 
time  as  I  walked  under  the  stars  I  could  have 
cried  aloud,  it  seemed  so  near,  and  yet — eluded 
me  I  could  not  remain  within  the  walls  of  that 
elegantly  furnished  room  which  was  called  mine; 
so  at  night  I  wandered  far,  and  lay  on  the  cool, 
dew  wet  grass,  and  strove  to  solve  the  torment 
ing  problems. 

"That  evening  when  Andalusia  followed  us,  I 
had  been  more  than  usually  unsettled  and 
troubled  ;  there  was  a  softness  in  the  atmosphere; 
a  mellow  light  shed  by  the  descending  sun  ;  a  faint, 
odorous  stirring  of  the  warm  wind,  Avhich  made 
my  brain  throb  as  though  it  would  burst,  so  sug 
gestive  were  all  things  of  that  half  remembered 
southern  land.  When  Andalusia  brushed  past 
us,  and  the  light  of  her  eyes  entered  my  soul, 
the  final  knowledge  came  to  me,  as  had  that 
other;  I  remembered  all,  and  in  a  transport  of 
joy  I  called  out  her  name.  It  was  well  for  him 
that  I  cried  out — my  body  would  have  been  a 
vacant  tenement  otherwise;  but  unless  I  also 
was  released  from  this  hateful  bondage  it  would 
have  beeu  useless,  as  I  could  not,  unless  through 
the  same  condition  which  at  first  existed,  have 
reclaimed  my  own. 

"Andalusia  sought  "Wilbur,  thinking  herself 
deserted  by  me;  she  was  mad  with  jealousy  long 
before  he  fled ;  she  frightened  him  with  her 
ardent  love,  and  I  suppose  when  angered  repelled 
him  by  her  wild  bursts  of  passion ;  his  cold 
nature  could  not  appreciate  the  tropical  love  of 
my  Andalusia. 

"That  evening  on  the  street,  when  I  cried  out 


96  FLOATING   FANCIES. 

'Andalusia,'  she  recognized  ray  voice,  but 
thought  it  some  trick  to  deceive  her ;  you  know 
that  in  our  land,  and  especially  among  our  peo 
ple,  there  are  many  incredible  and  wonderful 
things  done  to  cheat  the  imagination;  but  when 
I  said  in  Romany,  which  seemed  to  drop  from 
m.y  tongue  without  my  will:  "Be  at  tho  entrance 
of  the  park  to-night  at  twelve;  I,  your  Antoni, 
will  meet  you;"  she  swept  me  a  burning  gaze  of 
wondering  doubt,  and  disappeared.  I  met  her 
as  I  promised,  but  could  not  convince  her  that  I 
spoke  the  truth;  she  scornfully  taunted  me  with 
the  eyes,  which  she  declared  that  I  had  stolen 
from  the  summer  sky,  an  open  page  whereon 
to  print  all  my  baby  passions;  she  lifted  herself 
to  look  over  my  head,  and  mock  me  with  her 
shrill  laughter;  one  thing  only  consoled  me;  I 
knew  when  she  promised  again  to  meet  me,  that 
though  she  derided,  she  was  not  quite  sure.  It 
seemed  that  Wilbur — 'Ugh!  I  cannot  call  him 
Petronelli — ho  has  no  right  to  the  name,  he  stole 
my  body,  but — I  am  I,  in  spite  of  it!  Well,  he 
utterly  refused  her  love;  he  resisted  her  caresses, 
and  showed  such  unmistakable  aversion  that  he 
drove  her  wild ;  she  upbraided  him  fiercely,  and 
— like  a  coward — he  fled  from  her. 

"What  led  him  here?  Was  it  the  hand  of  the 
All  Wise,  or  the  homing  instinct  implanted  in 
man?  He  came,  and  you  know  how  he  filled  the 
place,  and  how  perfectly  the  place  fitted  him. 

"For  long  weeks  I  failed  to  convince  Andelusia ; 
weeks  that  were  filled  with  the  madness  of  de 
spair,  with  the  agony  of  vain  pleading,  of  being 
scorned  and  taunted  with  my  baby  skin,  until 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  97 

every  time  that  I  looked  at  Wilbur,  I  could 
scarcely  restrain  my  hands. 

"Andelusia  watched  his  every  movement;  that 
night  when  sho  fired  the  pistol  she  thought  that 
she  had  found  her  rival,  and  had  she  been  less 
angry  would  have  killed  her;  her  emotion,  only, 
rendering  her  hand  unsteady. 

"I  followed  her  and  appointed  a  place  of  meet 
ing;  at  first  she  would  not  listen,  but  finally 
consented;  saying  that  old  Martini  Sistine  was 
with  her,  hidden  in  the  shubbery.  I  was  re 
joiced,  for  old  Martini  knows  much  that  is  hid 
den  from  all  the  rest  of  the  world ;  she  can  talk 
familiarly  with  those  who  have  departed  this  life ; 
and  to  her  the  stars  are  as  an  open  book. 
Martini  knew  that  I  spoke  the  truth,  and  in  try 
ing  to  convince  Andalusia  she  also  explained 
much  which  I  had  been  unable  to  grasp.  Anda 
lusia  at  first  would  hear  nothing  of  it,  but  cried 
scornfully,  touching  the  fair  hair  as  though  it 
were  some  vile  thing,  and  prodding  my  flushed 
cheek  viciously : 

"  'This  is  not  my  Antoni!'  Then  said  Martini 
sever  Jy : 

"Daughter  of  the  South,  born  in  the  wild- 
wood  among  nature's  sweetest  mysteries,  do  you 
doubt  the  first  one  which  touches  you?  For 
shame!  If  you  saw  a  branch  lopped  off  the  tree 
under  which  you  sat,  would  you  cry  out  that 
this  was  no  longer  the  same  tree?  If  you  should 
lose  your  fair  right  arm,  are  you  not  still  Anda 
lusia?  If  you  were  bereft  of  both  limbs  and 
arms,  a'nd  nothing  but  the  disfigured  trunk  re 
mained,  you  would  still  be  Andelusia.  It  is  tho 


98  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

Within,  which  is  in  reality  the  personality. 
Your  Antoni  is  the  same,  but  he  is  unfortunate 
in  having  to  bear  this  effeminate  body;  have 
you  no  pity  for  his  misfortune?" 

"Then  my  Andalusia  wept  on  my  neck,  and 
begged  forgiveness  for  all  her  unkind  words; 
and  though  she  cried  continually :  'Poor  Antoni !' 
I  was  so  happy  that  for  a  time  I  forgot  all  about 
my  hateful  body. 

"We  are  going  to  our  own  land;  Martini,  my 
Andalusia  and  I.  Wilbur  can  take  the  cool- 
blooded  Edith  and  welcome;  their  placid  imita 
tion  of  love  is  like  ice  to  fire  as  compared  to  the 
glorious  tumult  of  passion  which  swells  in  the 
hearts  of  the  unfettered  children  of  the  free  wild- 
wood. 

"I  have  taken  this  money  and  the  diamonds, 
yet — I  am  no  thief!  That  portion  of  myself, 
known  to  the  sight  as  Arthur  Lombard — the 
hateful  body,  thrust  upon  me  without  my  con 
sent — I  am  compelled  to  retain  against  my  will; 
that  body  has  a  right  to  maintenance,  and  I  have 
taken  of  Arthur  Lombard's  money  to  care  for  it. 
I  have  left  the  balance  to  the  soul  of  Arthur 
Lombard ;  and  as  a  last  request,  I  ask  him  to  be 
kind  to  the  body  of  poor,  cheated  Antoni 
Petronelli." 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  99 


LIMITATIONS. 

A  BKOWN  faced,  tangle-haired,  barefooted  little 
girl;  a  long  country  road,  its  yellow  clay  beaten 
into  powder,  which  rose  with  every  gust  of  wind 
into  whirling  eddies,  and  spitefully  enveloped 
each  passer-by  in  a  grimy  cloak,  and  followed 
after  each  vehicle  like  an  abhorrent  specter. 
Long  rows  of  maple  cast  their  cool  shadows  from 
either  side;  raspberries  and  blackberries  grew 
in  the  corners  of  the  old  rail  fence;  a  narrow 
footpath  cut  like  a  yellow  thread  into  the  thick 
green  sod ;  here  and  there  a  sweet-william  held 
up  its  fragant  head ;  and  in  the  field  beyond  the 
long  rows  of  corn  rustled  their  broad  leaves,  and 
murmured  together. 

Thella  swung  her  sunbonnet  by  the  strings, 
and  gave  a  little  hop-skip-and-jump  for  very  joy 
of  living.  She  stopped  instantly,  as  she  heard, 
"Thella!  Thella!"  called  in  a  fretful,  rasping 
tone. 

"Yes'm,"  answered  she,  at  the  top  of  a  high- 
pitched,  young  voice,  as  she  ran  rapidly  toward 
a  stout,  red-faced  woman,  who  stood  leaning 
over  the  top  of  the  gate. 

"I  declare  to  goodness,  you  make  me  think  of 
a  turkey!  It's  no  wonder  that  you  are  the 
ugliest  young  one  living !  Look  at  that  mop  of 


100  FLOATING   FANCIES. 

hair,  and  that  slit  in  your  dress!"  said  she,  her 
voice  raised  to  a  shrill  scream. 

Thella  dropped  her  head,  and  drew  her  black 
brows  together  sullenly.  "Why  don't  you  put 
that  sunbonnet  on  your  head?  Oh,  drat  you, 
get  out  of  my  sight,  you  little  imp!" 

Thella  had  been  digging  one  brown  toe  in  the 
dust,  but  at  the  conclusion  of  the  tirade  she 
darted  past  the  woman,  dextrously  dodged  a 
blow  and  ran  into  the  house.  She  flew  upstairs 
into  the  attic;  there  was  a  little  square  window, 
draped  over  with  cobwebs;  Thella  had  rubbed 
the  grime  off  the  lower  panes,  but  she  left  tho 
cobwebs — she  called  them  her  curtains,  and  the 
spiders  her  little  lace  makers.  From  out  the 
rubbish  she  had  long  ago  hunted  a  mirror,  with 
a  very  wavy  surface.  She  crouched  on  the  floor 
with  her  head  bowed  upon  the  window-sill,  sob 
bing  bitterly;  the  most  forlorn  little  thing 
imaginable. 

Her  stepmother's  voice  faintly  reached  her: 

"Thella!  Thella!  Drat  the  child !  she'd  wear 
the  patience  out  of  a  saint!"  whether  she  in- 
yended  to  imply  that  she  was  a  saint  or  not,  I  do 
not  know. 

Thella  only  gave  a  little  flout:  "You  can  split 
your  old  throat  for  all  that  1  care." 

Anger  dried  her  tears;  she  softly  crept  across 
the  loose  boards  of  the  floor,  and  brought  her 
looking-glass  to  the  window.  She  sat  looking  at 
herself  mournfully ;  it  was  not  a  pretty  picture 
upon  which  she  gazed ;  a  grimy,  tear-stained  face, 
as  brown  as  a  coffee-berry,  heavy  black  eye 
brows,  arched  over  a  pair  of  intense  gray  eyes ; 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  101 

the  wavy  glass  had  a  trick  of  elongating  the 
visage  which  made  it  very  comical ;  added  to 
this,  her  hair  hung  like  a  black  cloud  all  about 
her  face.  She  threw  down  the  glass  in  disgust: 

"Thella  Armitage,  you  do  look  like  a  little 
Indian!  Oh,  what  shall  I  do?"  her  chin  begin 
ning  to  quiver  again;  but  presently  she  rested 
her  face  on  her  hand,  and  sat  gazing  at  the  fleecy 
clouds  chasing  each  other  across  the  sky,  and 
wandered  off  into  dreamland;  these  were  her 
soldiers,  and  the  great  white  cloud  with  a  rose 
colored  border  was  her  chariot,  and  she  was 
going: 

"Thella!  Thella  Armitage!  If  you  don't  come 
down  here  and  wash  these  dishes  I'll  skin  you," 
called  her  stepmother,  up  the  stairs, 

"All  right,  maybe  a  decent  skin  would  grow 
on  then,"  muttered  Thella.  She  went  down 
into  the  hot  kitchen  and  washed  the  dishes;  but 
every  minute  she  stole  a  glance  at  her  pretty 
clouds  through  the  open  window.  "What  are 
you  gawping  at?  'tend  to  your  work,"  said  Mrs. 
Armitage  crossly.  She  did  not  mean  to  be  actu 
ally  unkind,  but  she  had  no  appreciation  of  an 
other's  feelings,  much  less  of  Thella's  dreamy, 
poetic  temperament.  Thella  shot  her  an  angry 
look,  and  sullenly  went  on  with  her  work,  the 
beauty  all  taken  out  of  the  clouds,  her  fairylike 
day  dreams  buried  in  gloom. 

No  sooner  were  the  dishes  washed  than  Thella 
was  set  to  knit  her  stint;  oh,  how  she  hated 
that  interminable  stocking!  The  rounds  seemed 
endless;  and  if  she  thought  about  something 
nice  for  just  one  little  minute  the  stitches  would 


102  FLOATING   FANCIES. 

drop  and  run  away  down ;  then  Mrs.  Armitage 
would  angrily  yank  the  stocking  out  of  her 
hand,  pull  the  needles  out,  and  ravel  out  all  her 
evening's  work.  When  at  last  the  hateful  task 
was  accomplished,  and  the  old  clock  sitting  in 
its  little  niche  in  the  wall — like  a  miniature  shrine 
for  the  Virgin  Mary — rang  out  its  nine  slow 
strokes,  she  would  run  up  to  the  old  east  cham 
ber  where  she  slept,  in  an  agony  of  stifled  rage. 

Mrs.  Armitage  would  allow  her  only  a  small 
bit  of  candle:  "You're  not  going  to  read  those 
good-for-nothing  books;  you  jest  go  to  bed  and 
go  to  sleep ;  I  want  you  to  be  fit  for  something 
in  the  morning." 

So  she  was  forced  to  hurry  in  between  the 
sheets,  after  blowing  out  the  light,  often  to  lie 
there  wakeful ;  dreaming  such  lovely,  impossible 
dreams  by  the  hour.  On  moonless  nights  the 
skurry  of  a  rat,  or  the  cracking  of  the  old  tim 
bers  in  cold  weather,  would  send  little  shivers 
creeping  up  and  down  her  back ;  but  when  the 
silvery  moon  shone  in  at  the  curtainless  window 
she  would  lie  wide-eyed,  riding  to  strange,  un 
heard  of  countries  on  its  silver  bars. 

One  happy  day  a  neighbor  loaned  her  the 
"Arabian  Knights;"  she  hurried  through  her 
tasks,  which  were  neither  short  nor  easy,  and 
ran  joyously  up  to  the  garret;  a  pane  of  glass 
had  been  broken,  and  a  pewee  had  flown  in  and 
built  her  nest  in  an  old  basket  suspended  from 
the  rafters.  So  careful  was  Thella  not  to 
frighten  the  mother  bird,  that  she  fearlessly 
sat  on  the  window  sill  and  called  to  her  four  little 
children:  "Phebe!  Phebe!" 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  103 

Thella  rested  her  chin  on  her  hand  thought 
fully  : 

"I  don't  see  how  you  know  them  apart  if  they 
are  all  named  Phebe, "  said  she. 

She  was  far  away  in  an  enchanted  land  with 
Alladiu,  and  did  not  hear  Mrs.  Armitage  creep 
up  to  her;  the  first  intimation  she  had  of  her 
presence  was  an  awful  blow  on  the  ear  which 
made  her  see  stars,  and  knocked  the  book  half 
across  the  room. 

"You  lazy,  trifling  trollope!  I'll  learn  you  to 
spend  your  time  reading  such  trash.  Now  you 
march  downstairs,  and  if  you  can't  find  anything 
else  to  do  go  out  in  the  garden  and  weed  them 
onion  beds, "  saying  which  she  pounced  viciously 
upon  the  book. 

"Pa  said  I  need  not  weed  them  until  the  sun 
went  down,  and  it  got  cooler,"  faltered  Thella. 

"Your  father  is  learnin'  you  to  be  as  lazy  as  he 
is  himself,"  snapped  Mrs.  Armitage;  "you 
march,  now,  and  no  more  of  your  sass. " 

Thella  rose  and  pushed  back  her  heavy  hair, 
preparatory  to  following  her. 

"Will  you  please  let  me  put  away  the  book?" 
she  said. 

"I'll  please  put  it  in  the  fire,"  she  replied 
viciously. 

"Oh,  no,  no!  Don't  it  isn't  mine!"  she  cried 
frantically  as  she  made  a  vain  endeavor  to 
reach  it. 

Mrs.  Armitage  gave  her  another  resounding 
slap:  "There,  take  that,  you  little  cat!" 

As  she  commenced  descending  the  stairs 
Thella  darted  before  her,  and  hurriedly  ran  to 


104  FLOATING   FANCIES. 

the  field  to  her  father;  she  caught  hold  of  his 
hands  and  pulled  the  hoe  away  from  him. 

"Don't  daughter,  ma  will  be  mad  if  I  don't 
keep  to  work,"  he  said  pathetically. 

"Oh,  pa,  I'll  hoe  in  your  place;  do  go  and 
take  ray  book  away  from  her,  she's  going  to 
burn  it,  and  it  isn't  mine  at  all;  it's  Willie 
Burt's!"  she  cried  in  agitated  incoherence. 
"Oh,  hurry,  pa!  Don't  let  her  burn  it,"  her 
voice  full  of  tears.  He  stooped  for  one  instant 
and  laid  his  hand  caressingly  upon  her  head. 

"Poor  little  Thella, "  he  murmured,  then 
walked  hurriedly  up  to  the  house.  Thella 
looked  after  him  sorrowfully: 

"Poor  pa!"  she  said,  with  a  quiver  in  her 
voice. 

Presently  he  came  slowly  back  through  the 
broiling  sunshine  and  took  the  hoe  from  her 
hand. 

"Well?"  said  Thella  interrogatively. 

He  shook  his  head:  "  'Twasn't  no  use,  she 
had  it  in  the  stove." 

"The  mean,  old  thing — "  began  Thella. 

"Tut-tut;  she's  your  mother,"  said  pa  gently. 

"She  isn't  my  mother;  my  little  mother  is 
dead!"  She  began  very  hotly,  but  ended  with 
choking  sobs. 

"I  wouldn't  cry,  little  daughter;  we  must 
make  the  very  best  of  things  when  we  can't 
change  them,"  he  said  with  a  sad  resignation 
more  pathetic  by  far  than  tears.  He  took  his 
old  red  bandana  from  his  pocket  and  wiped  the 
drops  from  her  flushed  cheeks,  compassionately. 

"Well!  You  are  the  shif'lesses  pair  I  ever  did 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  105 

see,"  said  Mrs.  Armitage  shrilly.  "Thella,  if 
you  don't  go  at  that  onion  bed  I'll  take  a  strap 
to  you." 

Thella  gave  her  a  look  of  bitter  hatred,  and 
walked  sullenly  to  her  work.  The  sun  beat 
down  with  terrible  force ;  Thella  knelt  unpro 
tected  on  the  edge  of  the  bed,  and  pulled  the 
offending  weeds;  her  father  hoed  the  long  rows 
of  corn  steadily,  only  pausing  to  wipe  away  the 
perspiration  as  it  trickled  down  his  face.  Mrs. 
Armitage,  under  the  shade  of  an  apple  tree  whose 
boughs  bent  low  with  yellow  fruit,  gossiped 
with  a  neighbor. 

"Pa!  pa!"  called  Thella  softly,  he  paused  and 
looked  at  her.  "Can't  I  have  an  apple?  I'm  so 
warm  and  thirsty." 

Low  as  was  the  call,  Mrs.  Armitage  heard  it; 
"  'Tend  to  your  work;  you  always  want  to  be 
chankin' something.  Warm!  it's  just  nice  and 
pleasant." 

Pa  dropped  his  hoe  between  the  long  rows, 
and  gathering  half  a  dozen  apples  off  the  tree, 
called  Thella  to  him:  "It  is  nice  and  cool  here, 
under  the  shade  of  the  tree." 

He  sat  on  the  green  bank,  and  took  his  little 
daughter  on  his  knee;  he  pushed  the  thick  hair 
from  her  warm  face ;  she  ate  her  apple,  her  head 
lying  contentedly  on  her  father's  shoulder. 
Mrs.  Armitage  went  on  gossiping  with  the  neigh 
bor,  interspersing  her  remarks  with  flings  about 
"People  too  lazy  to  breathe — humoring  that 
good-for-nothing,"  etc.  If  Pa  Armitage  heard, 
he  made  no  sign,  beyond  pressing  his  arm  a  little 
closer  about  Thella's  waist. 


10«  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

Time  went  on.  Thella  was  fourteen;  her  life 
was  a  horrible  routine — up  before  dawn  in  the 
winter,  and  before  the  sun  in  summer,  to  milk 
and  churn,  cook  and  scrub;  no  thoughts  ex 
pressed  in  her  hearing  except  those  relating  to 
eating,  working,  and  the  continuous  bad  conduct 
of  the  neighbors — this  last  always  sufficient  for  a 
whole  day's  tirade.  In  summer  it  was  not  so 
bad;  there  were  always  the  whispering  trees, 
and  the  fragrant  flowers;  the  green  grass,  and 
the  busy  booming  of  the  bumble  bees;  the  low 
ing  of  the  solemn-eyed  cows,  that  came  at  her 
call.  Best  of  all  was  the  walk  down  the  long, 
shady  lane,  through  the  grassy  dell,  where,  in 
the  limpid  brook,  the  funny  crabs  crawled  back 
ward  ;  and  the  saucy,  gray  squirrel  chattered  at 
her  from  the  beech  and  chestnut  trees  on  the 
hillside;  still  an  added  joy  when  "pa"  followed 
his  little  girl,  telling  her  of  his  coming  by  put 
ting  his  crooked  little  finger  in  his  mouth,  and 
thus  whistling  shrilly.  Fast  as  her  nimble  feet 
could  carry  her  she  ran  to  him,  and  nestling  her 
hand  in  his  begged  him  to  tell  her  of  her  very 
own  mamma.  Oh,  the  delightful  walks  and 
talks;  the  sun  hanging  low  in  the  west  and  the 
soft  wind  just  stirring  the  leaves;  a  little  later 
the  softly  falling  dew,  the  gathering  shadows,  a 
belated  bird  hopping  from  branch  to  branch 
with  drowsy  chirp;  a  rabbit  darting  across  the 
path,  causing  Thella  to  glance  over  her  shoulder 
in  quick  affright  and  cling  a  little  closer  to 
"pa's"  hand  at  sight  of  the  dark  shadows  all 
around  her;  then  the  great  red  moon  lifting  his 
round  face  above  the  treetops,  lighting  up  the 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  107 

openings,  and  leaving  the  shadows  darker  by  con 
trast.  The  sweet  silence  seemed  deepened  by 
the  shrill  cry  of  the  cicada,  and  the  plaintive  call 
of  the  whip-poor-will;  at  last  pa  would  say,  "We 
must  hurry  home,  we  shall  get  a  scolding." 

Thella  would  sigh  and  answer:  "Yes,  pa,  but 
this  is  so  nice,"  with  a  loving  cuddle  closer  to 
his  side. 

Well  they  knew  the  remark  Mrs.  Armitage 
was  sure  to  make  about  their  "trapezing"  all  over 
the  fields. 

Not  long  after  this,  all  through  the  day  Thella 
had  been  working  very  hard,  and  in  the  edge  of 
the  evening  sat  down  on  the  porch  to  rest.  Pa 
had  just  come  in  from  the  field  looking  worn- 
out;  Thella's  heart  ached  as  she  looked  at  him: 
"Poor  pa,  you  are  tired  out,"  she  said. 

"Yes,  pretty  tired,  daughter!"  he  answered; 
hearing  Mrs.  Armitage  coming  they  said  no 
more. 

She  was  in  a  fearful  humor;  she  had  quarreled 
with  one  of  the  neighbors,  and  seemed  to  think 
that  the  fight  extended  to  her  own  family.  It 
was  quite  dark  on  the  porch,  and  Thella  sat  in 
the  shadow  so  that  she  did  not  observe  her. 

"Where  is  Thella?"  she  angrily  asked  of  pa, 
as  she  came  in. 

"Not  very  far  away,  I  guess,"  he  answered 
mildly. 

"Out  trapezing  somewhere,  I  suppose!  I 
seen  her  whispering  to  that  Judd  Tompkins, 
more'n  once;  she'll  come  to  no  good,  I'll  tell 
you!" 

"Sho!  Sho!     What's  the  use  of  bein'  so  hard, 


108  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

ma?  Didn't  you  never  talk  to  the  boys  when 
you  was  young?"  asked  pa  very  mildly. 

"I  wish  to  goodness  I'd  never  seen  a  pesky 
man;  of  all  the  shif'less,  onery  things  a  man's 
the  wust;  and  you're  about  the  laziest  of  the 
whole  bilin'." 

Pa  made  no  reply,  but  Thella  rose  up,  white 
and  wrathful;  it  is  nob  the  great  things  which 
rouse  us  to  the  depth  of  feeling,  but  the  con 
tinued  pin-pricking;  the  nag-nagging  which 
drives  us  to  desperation.  Thella  could  take  any 
thing  directed  against  herself;  she  thought  many 
times  that  she  had  grown  so  used  to  it  that  it 
did  not  hurt  much,  but  pa,  poor  pa,  she  could 
not  hear  the  good  patient  soul  nagged  so,  with 
out  a  word  of  protest. 

"You  just  let  pa  alone!  You  can  abuse  me 
all  you  like,  but  you  needn't  misuse  him  on  my 
account,  he  is  not  to  blame  for  my  shortcom 
ings;"  she  sidled  up  to  him,  and  clasped  his 
arm  with  her  two  hands. 

"Hoity-toity!  I'm  glad  I  have  your  permis 
sion  to  express  my  feelings  to  you,  my  high- 
flown  miss;  and  with  or  without  your  consent, 
I'll  say  what  I  please  to  your  pa — you  little 
trollope,  you!" 

She  made  an  angry  dive  at  Thella,  who  only 
threw  up  her  arm  and  warded  off  the  blow : 
"You  had  best  not  strike  me,"  she  said  in  a 
peculiarly  quiet  tone. 

"Come  away,  come  away,  daughter;  don't 
quarrel  with  her.  Make  the  best  of  it!  We 
can't  seem  to  alter  things,  so  let's  make  the  best 
of  it,"  said  the  old  man  tremulously. 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  109 

Thella  was  trembling  with  anger;  she  realized 
that  she  had  made  it  worse  for  pa  instead  of 
helping  him,  and  her  heart  was  filled  with  regret 
and  bitterness. 

"Pa,  you  don't  have  to  endure  such  abuse; 
set  your  foot  down  and  make  her  behave  herself. ' ' 

"Oh,  Thella,  I  couldn't!  Don't  you  see, 
daughter,  that  I  can't  quarrel  with  a  woman? 
Let  us  take  a  walk  down  the  lane,"  and  hand  in 
hand  they  went.  Nothing  further  was  said  on 
the  subject  until  they  turned  to  go  in ;  pa  drew 
a  long  sigh  :  "I  wish  your  ma  had  a  lived,  but  I 
made  my  bed —  '  he  broke  off  abruptly,  then 
continued  in  a  trembling  tone,  "I  thought  I  was 
doing  the  best  for  my  little  girl  to  give  her  a 
new  ma — you  see,  a  man  that's  had  a  good  wife 
is  lonely,  and  beside,  he  don't  know  just  what 
to  do  for  a  little  girl — and  I  thought — I 
thought — "  the  old  voice  quavered  into  silence 
piteously. 

Thella  stopped  short  and  laid  her  hands  upon 
his  shoulders  affectionately  :  "Yes,  I  know — dear 
pa,  you  are  so  kind ;  but  pa — you  are  mistaken — 
you  are  not  making  the  best  of  it;  there  is  no 
good  at  all  in  this  way  of  living;  it's  just  slavery 
for  the  bite  you  eat,  and  a  bed  to  sleep  in — 
that's  full  of  thorns;  even  your  food  is  thrown 
at  you  as  though  you  were  a  dog,  and  where  are 
all  the  books  we  used  to  have?  One  might  as 
well  be  a  fool,  if  they  can  have  no  use  for  their 
brains,"  she  ended  bitterly. 

"Yes;  she's  put  all  the  books  away ;  I'm  afraid 
she's  burned  them.  Your  ma  liked  books, 
Thella;  we  used  to  take  such  comfort  reading  to- 


110  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

gether,  but  Mandy  says  it  makes  me  lazy — 
p'raps  it  does.  Mandy  is  a  wonderful  manager, 
Thella." 

"Very  wonderful!  She  can  make  everybody 
else  work  while  she  gossips  with  the  neighbors," 
answered  Thella  indignantly. 

"Sho,  sho!  Daughter  you  mustn't  talk  that 
way!  She's  your  ma — no,  she's  your  stepma, 
you  know.  We  must  make  the  best  of  it,"  he 
iterated  weakly.  Thella  made  no  reply,  though 
her  heart  burned  hotly;  what  could  she  say  to 
this  crushed  spirit  that  would  not  add  to  his 
trouble? 

Before  she  let  him  go  in  she  said  hesitatingly ; 
"Pa,  I  am  going  away;  she  is  cross  to  you  on 
my  account,  and — and — oh,  pa,  I  do  want  to  go 
to  school;  there's  so  much  that  I  want  to  know!" 
she  said  breathlessly. 

He  stood  as  though  stunned :  "What  shall  I 
do  without  you?"  he  cried  despairingly. 

Thella  trembled  with  excitement;  her  heart 
was  torn  between  the  deshe  to  go  and  the  long 
ing  to  remain;  how  could  she  leave  her  poor, 
heartbroken  old  father?  but — she  honestly  be 
lieved  that  she — Thella  never  called  her  any 
thing  else  if  she  could  avoid  it — would  be  less- 
unkind  to  pa,  if  she  were  gone.  Thella  knew 
very  well  that  a  rancorous  jealousy  added  force 
to  her  misuse  of  him ;  and — oh,  she  could  not  go 
on  in  this  way;  empty  day  dreams  no  longer 
sufficed  her  bright  intelligence;  she  hungered 
and  thirsted  for  knowledge;  he  had  a  vague 
understanding  of  higher  and  better  things  than 
met  her  everyday  sight.  She  could  no  longer 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  Ill 

keep  her  eyes  earthward;  even  when  she  cast 
them  down  for  one  instant,  all  things  spoke  to 
her  of  that  higher  life,  and  filled  her  with  un 
utterable  longing.  Something  of  this  she  tried 
to  tell  pa  between  her  sobs. 

He  let  his  hand  wander  gently  over  her  crown 
of  hair,  as  he  said,  "Yes — yes,  daughter;  I  know 
how  you  feel.  I  used  to  have  just  such  thoughts, 
and  ma — your  ma — used  to  make  me  feel  as 
though  I  could  see  right  up  into  God's  heart, 
and  I  knew — I  knew — that  I  could  live  well 
enough  to  reach  Him,  sometime,  I  should  if  ma 
hadn't  have  died;  but  now — I  just  have  to  make 
the  best  of  it,"  he  finished  despondently. 

"But  pa,  hadn't  you  ought  to  try  now — for 
ma's  sake?" 

"How  can  I?  I  never  have  time  even  to 
think.  No,  no,  daughter,  I  must  just  make  the 
best  of  it, "  he  reiterated  wearily. 

She  had  no  words  of  comfort  that  had  not  in 
them  a  sound  of  mockery,  so  she  said  nothing 
beyond  thanking  him  for  his  consent,  and  as  she 
kissed  him  lovingly,  she  patted  his  withered 
cheek  with  her  toil-roughened  palms:  "Poor 
pa!  Poor  pa!  I  love  you  dearly,"  she  said. 

A  tear  stole  down  his  furrowed  face  and  wet 
her  hands;  he  tremblingly  murmured,  "God 
bless  my  daughter!" 

The  next  morning  Mrs.  Armitage  screamed  in 
vain  to  Thella : 

"Drat  her,  I'll  take  a  Btrap  to  her,  if  she's 
biggern  the  side  of  a  house." 

When  at  last  she  threw  open  the  door  of  the 
poor,  bare  little  chamber,  she  found  it  empty. 


112  FLOATING   FANCIES. 

For  once  words  failed  her — she  sat  down  on  the 
stairs  gasping. 

Pa  wisely  kept  out  of  her  way.  She  missed 
her  servant,  but  poor  pa  went  about  more  silent 
than  ever;  it  seemed  that  in  one  short  month  he 
grew  visibly  gray  and  bent;  he  worked  on  hope 
lessly  through  heat  and  cold.  The  only  smile 
that  ever  crossed  his  face  was  when  he  received 
a  thick  letter  from  the  village  postmaster;  he 
would  hide  it  away  in  his  inside  pocket  with 
trembling  hands  for  fear  Mandy  would  see  it; 
a  little  spot  of  color  coming  into  his  thin  old 
cheeks  at  the  thought;  at  nightfall  he  would 
wander  down  the  lane  where  he  used  to  walk 
with  Thella,  and  just  to  make  believe  that  she 
would  come  to  meet  him,  he  would  crook  his 
little  finger  and  whistle  shrilly.  Oh,  the  com 
fort  those  letters  were  to  him;  after  reading 
them  over  and  over  again,  he  would  hide  them 
away  in  a  hollow  log. 

Thella  always  wrote  to  him  that  she  was  well 
andhapp}';  she  told  him  nothing  of  the  hard 
labor  and  bitter  disappointments  she  met;  her 
situation  had  been  assured  to  her  before  she  left 
home,  but  there  were  many  things  that  were 
hard  to  bear;  not  the  least  of  which  was  a  terri 
ble  homesickness.  Then,  too,  when  she  came 
to  go  to  school,  she  found  that  others  of  the 
same  age  were  far  in  advance  of  her  in  their 
studies,  and  consequently  looked  down  upon 
her.  Patient  effort  at  last  brought  success;  by 
this  time  her  homesick  feeling  had  worn  away ; 
she  still  longed  to  see  her  father,  but  had  ever 
the  hope  before  her  of  a  home  in  which  "pa" 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  113 

should  have  the  warmest  corner  in  winter  and 
the  brightest  window  when  he  wished  it. 

Later  on  she  wrote  that  she  was  teaching;  pa 
whispered  it  softly  to  himself:  "My  Thella  is  a 
schoolmam!"  Such  innocent  pride  as  pa  took 
in  the  fact. 

After  four  years  she  wrote  to  him  that  she  was 
married. 

"Married!  My  little  girl,  married!"  His 
old  face  puckered  up  queerly;  he  did  not  know 
whether  to  laugh  or  cry.  She  wrote  that  she 
was  very  happy.  After  that  the  burden  of  every 
letter  was,  "Pa,  do  come  and  see  me." 

Sitting  by  the  fire  one  evening,  late  in  the 
fall,  pa  said,  "Mandy,  I  am  gong  to  Adairville 
to-morrow." 

"I  should  like  to  know  if  you  are  possessed, 
you'll  do  no  such  thing!  What  do  you  want  to 
go  there  for?" 

"I  want  to  see  Thella;  it's  a  long  time  since  I 
seen  her!"  deprecatingly. 

"Well,  you  won't  go  trapezing  after  her;  she 
run  away,  and  you'll  not  follow  her." 

"She's  my  child,  you  hadn't  ought  to  be  so 
hard,  Mancb',"  quavered  the  old  man. 

"Well,  you'll  not  go,  I  tell  you!  you  ain't 
goin'  to  spend  no  money  running  after  that  trol- 
lope!"  answered  she. 

Pa  sighed,  but  said  no  more;  he  had  sub 
mitted  to  her  rule  so  long  that  the  thought  of 
opposition  did  not  occur  to  him;  his  shoulder 
seemed  to  bend  as  if  beneath  a  heavy  load ;  his 
gray  head  drooped  lower  and  lower;  a  heavy 


114  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

tear  or  two  followed  the  deep  furrows  down  his 
cheek. 

The  next  morning  he  seemed  scarcely  able  to 
stir,  and  though  her  wrath  enveloped  him  all 
day  he  seemed  not  to  mind;  he  appeared  like 
one  in  a  dream. 

"When  chore-time  came  again,  she  said  sharply, 
"Ain't  you  goin'  to  get  them  cows  to-night? 
jrou  act  as  though  your  wits  was  wool-gatherin' 
— or  like  a  tarnal  fool!" 

"Mandy,  I've  always  did  the  best  I  could!" 
he  said  quaveringly,  as  he  turned  away. 

"It's  poor  enough,  the  Lord  knows,"  snapped 
she. 

When  pa  reached  the  entrance  to  the  lane  he 
stood  lost  in  thought  for  several  minutes — he 
had  forgotten  all  about  the  cows — suddenly  he 
straightened  up:  "I've  a  good  mind  to  doit! 
I  vum,  I  will!"  he  laughed  outright — a  cracked, 
cackling  laugh,  that  had  a  pitiful  sound;  his 
weak,  watery  eyes  began  to  glisten;  this  time 
instead  of  whistling  once,  he  whistled  twice 
shrilly. 

"Daughter,  I'm  coming;  your  old  pa's  com 
ing!"  he  cried  gleefully. 

He  sat  down  on  the  hollow  log  where  he  kept 
his  letters;  he  took  them  out,  handling  them 
over  fondly ;  from  the  last  one  received  he  drew 
out  a  bill;  he  spelled  the  letter  out  laboriously: 

"DEAR  PA:  Here  is  a  little  money  to  get  you 
a  suit  of  new  clothes;  and  in  my  next  letter  I 
will  send  you  enough  for  your  fare,  for,  dear  pa, 
I  must  see  you." 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  115 

He  laid  the  letter  on  his  knee,  smoothing  it 
caressingly. 

"Yes,  daughter,  so  you  shall;  I  couldn't  never 
•wait  'till  I  got  another  letter;  so  I  will  go  just 
as  far  as  this  money '11  carry  me  and  I'll  walk 
the  rest  of  the  way.  Lord!  What'll  Mandy 
oay?" 

Poor  pa  did  not  know  as  much  about  traveling 
as  do  some  children,  so  he  had  very  little  idea  of 
his  undertaking. 

Two  weeks  later  Thella  was  one  afternoon  sit 
ting  in  her  pleasant  room.  The  postman  had 
just  passed,  which  set  her  to  wondering  why  she 
did  not  hear  from  pa ;  she  ever  had  the  dread 
before  her  that  his  burden  would  become  greater 
than  he  could  bear,  and  that  she  would  see  him 
no  more.  A  servant  came  hurriedly  into  the 
room : 

"Mrs.  Webster,  there  is  an  old  man  at  the 
door  who  insists  upon  seeing  j'ou ;  I  think  he  is 
crazy,  he  acts  BO  queer." 

"Where  is  he?"  asked  Thella,  rising. 

"At  the  front  door,  where  he  has  no  business 
to  be,  of  course!  Oh,  he  said  tell  you  that  his 
name  is  Armitage 

"Oh,  it  is  pa — it's  pa!"  cried  Thella,  wildly 
oblivious  that  she  had  nearly  thrown  the  aston 
ished  girl  over. 

She  seized  the  toilworn  hands  of  the  forlorn- 
looking  old  man;  she  threw  her  arms  around  his 
sunburned  neck,  and  hugged  him  ecstatically ; 
she  fairly  dragged  him  into  the  room,  so  great 
was  her  excited  joy;  she  pulled  forward  the 
easiest  chair,  and  playfully  pushed  him  into  it ; 


116  FLOATING   FANCIES. 

she  patted  his  hands,  and  kissed  his  snowy, 
straggling  hair;  she  had  no  words  to  express  her 
joy,  grief,  and  surprise,  except  to  say  over  and 
over  again,  "Poor  pa!  Poor  pa!  Oh,  I  am  so 
glad  to  see  you!" 

He  looked  at  her  with  dim  old  eyes,  his  shak 
ing  hand  held  in  hers:  "Is  this  pretty  lady  my 
little  daughter?"  he  asked  with  a  happy  laugh. 

"Oh,  you  awful  flatterer, "  cried  Thella  gayly. 

Pa  leaned  back  in  his  chair  with  a  sigh  of 
satisfaction :  "This  chair  is  awful  comfortable, " 
he  closed  his  eyes  wearily. 

"You  are  tired,  pa,  and  I  do  not  let  you  rest!" 
she  said  with  quick  compunction. 

"Yes,  I  am  tired;  it  was  a  long  walk.  Handy 
wouldn't  let  me  come,  so  I  ran  away;  I  wouldn't 
quarrel  with  her,  so  I  had  to  make  the  best  of 
it." 

"Walk!  Did  you  walk?" 

"'Most  a  hundred  miles;  it  took  me  a  long 
spell,  but  I'm  glad  I  come.  When  I  shut  my 
eyes  it  seems  as  though  I'm  talking  to  your  ma; 
your  voice  sounds  just  as  hers  did." 

The  next  morning  when  Thella  went  to  call 
him  to  breakfast,  he  lay  babbling  of  the  green 
lane  and  Thella,  his  little  girl ;  occasionally  cry 
ing  out  piteously,  "Don't  be  so  hard,  Mandy; 
she's  only  a  little  girl!"  Then  again,  tears 
would  course  down  his  worn  cheeks:  "Oh,  if  ma 
had  only  lived!"  Another  time:  "Yes,  daugh 
ter;  it  is  hard  to  bear,  but  we  must  make  the 
best  of  it." 

It  was  a  whole  month  later,  and  pa  was  lying 
back  in  an  invalid  chair,  his  head  propped  with 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  117 

soft  cushions,  his  old  face  looking  very  placid. 
"What  a  sight  of  nice  books  you  have,  daugh 
ter;  it  would  be  a  pleasure  to  stay  here  all  my 
life!" 

"That's  just  what  you  are  going  to  do,  pa." 

"Oh,  I  can't!  You  know  how  Mandj-  will 
scold,  but  I'm  goin'  to  take  all  the  comfort  I 
can,  while  I  do  stay." 

Thella  leaned  over  him,  smoothing  his  thin, 
gray  hair  as  though  he  were  a  child,  a  wistful 
tenderness  in  her  tone: 

"Mandy'll  never  scold  you  again,  pa." 

Pa  sat  upright,  a  fitful  color  coming  into  his 
thin  cheeks:  ""What  do  you  mean?  Has — some 
thing — "  stammered  he,  nervously. 

"There,  pa,  don't  fret;  yes,  Mandy  is — dead;" 
caressing  the  hand  she  held  tenderly.  "She 
took  a  severe  cold,  and  was  sick  only  three  or 
four  days."  A  tear  coursed  down  his  cheek: 

"Poor  Mandy!  Perhaps  she  didn't  mean  to  be 
so  hard;  we  mustn't  judge  for  others,  must  we, 
now?"  he  questioned  tremulously. 

Ho  sat  silent  for  a  long  time,  at  last  he  said, 
"You've  everything  nice  here,  and  the  best  man 
that  ever  lived;  you've  learned  so  many  things' — • 
I  don't  'spose  you  would  care  to  walk  in  the  old 
lane  where  my  little  girl  and  I  used  to  walk; 
but  I  should  like  to  see  it  once  more,  and  then 
I'd  be  content  to  stay  with  you  the  rest  of  my 
days." 

Thella  gave  his  hand  a  loving  little  pat:  "Just 
hurry  up  and  get  well,  and  we  will  go  and  make 
believe  that  it  is  old  times  once  more." 

It  was  months  before  pa  was  able  to  go,  but  at 


118  FLOATING   FANCIES. 

last  they  walked  down  the  lane  in  the  sweet  June 
twilight;  as  of  old,  "bob-white"  whistled  to  his 
shy  brown  mate ;  and  the  gray  rabbit  lifted  his 
long  ears  inquiringly,  exactly  as  in  the  past; 
the  yellow  buttercups  laughed  up  amid  the 
short,  sweet  grass  just  the  same,  and  yet  Thella 
felt  a  depressing  sadness,  and  pa  sighed  sorrow 
fully  :  "One  kind  of  gets  used  to  things,  Thella 
— no  need  to  hurry  home  now,  is  there?  It 
makes  me  sorry  and  lonesome."  Thella  pressed 
his  arm  sympathetically,  and  they  silently 
walked  up  the  lane,  past  the  cows,  ruminatively 
chewing  their  cud ;  past  the  flock  of  chickens, 
with  their  many  bickerings,  as  they  sought  their 
roost;  past  the  silent  house  and  into  the  street, 
closing  the  gate  softb'  and  reverently  behind 
them,  even  as  they  closed  the  door  of  the  past 
life. 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  119 


A  TALE  OF  TWO    PICTURES. 

IT  is  a  question  open  to  discussion  whether  it 
is  a  blessing  to  be  born  with  a  highly  sensitive 
organization,  an  artistic  taste — and  poverty. 

The  reverse  was  the  opinion  of  Philip  Ault- 
man.  Life  seemed  a  failure,  every  venture  fore 
doomed;  and  this  sunny  June  morning,  when 
all  nature  seemed  to  give  the  lie  to  evil  prognos 
tications,  he  sat  in  his  room  with  the  curtains  of 
his  soul  pulled  down,  brooding  over  his  misfor 
tunes,  not  once  considering  that  he  was  in  fault. 
A  maple  grew  just  outside  the  window,  and  a 
little  branch  tapped  on  the  uplifted  sash  coax- 
iugly ;  the  soft  wind  whispered  through  its 
branches,  and  entering  lifted  his  curly  brown 
locks  shyly  ;  a  bluebird  tilted  its  bright  head,  and 
swelled  its  throat  in  song  of  enticement;  he 
lifted  his  face  from  the  melancholy  arch  of  his 
arms,  and  said  as  if  in  answer  to  the  appeal:  "I 
will  go  out,  this  is  of  no  use  1  Anything  is  bet 
ter  than  staying  within  brooding  over  my 
trouble!" 

As  he  wandered  about  the  sweet  wind  seemed 
to  blow  away  much  of  his  despondency,  although 
he  still  smarted  with  indignation  against  fate. 
Yet — 'what  is  fate?  The  evil  we  bring  upon  our 
selves.  We  clasp  our  hands  above  our  heads, 


120  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

prostrate  ourselves  with  our  foreheads  in  the 
dust,  and  say  with  the  devout  Oriental :  "Kis 
met!"  Thus  we  are  absolved  from  all  blame. 

Philip  had  been  poor  all  his  life;  not  misera 
bly  indigent,  though  many  things  which  go  to 
make  life  comfortable  were  lacking.  He  had  in 
herited  a  taste  for  art  from  his  father;  hard 
work  had  been  the  rule  of  his  life,  and  as  a  result 
he  was  a  very  creditable  artist,  though  not  by 
any  means  entering  into  the  soul  of  the  work. 
It  is  one  thing  to  paint  a  fair  picture,  to  write 
an  acceptable  story ;  it  is  quite  another  thing  to 
put  your  very  self  into  your  work,  and  endow  it 
with  a  subtle  life  which  is  past  all  explaining. 

When  he  was  twenty-five  he  inherited  money 
— worse  for  him ;  he  thought  that  henceforward 
life  held  no  need  for  exertion ;  as  though  food 
and  raiment  constitute  all  for  which  we  should 
exert  ourselves.  He  fancied  that  happiness  lay 
in  two  things;  going  to  sleep,  and  letting  the 
enervating  wind  of  pleasure  drift  him  whither 
soever  it  would;  or  getting  astride  of  the  billow 
of  self-will,  to  ride  over  everything.  He  did  not 
find  his  mistake  until  slice  by  slice  his  inherit 
ance  had  been  cut  away  from  him,  and  he  looked 
with  astonished  gaze  upon  those  who,  under  tho 
guise  of  friendship,  had  fastened  themselves 
upon  him  in  his  prosperity,  and  now  stared  at 
him  with  unseeing  eyes.  He  looked  upon  it  as 
the  worst  misfortune  which  could  have  befallen 
him.  He  was  no  more  shortsighted  than  the 
majority  of  persons;  because  a  certain  condition 
brings  present  discomfort,  we  rebel  against  it  as 
being  to  our  great  detriment;  most  frequently 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  121 

we  rebel  without  reason.  The  loss  was  a  bless 
ing  to  him,  against  which  he  railed,  beat,  and 
bruised  himself. 

Just  at  this  point  I  take  up  his  history. 

He  wandered  about  the  woods  all  day,  some 
times  throwing  himself  on  the  grass  to  look  up 
into  the  immeasurable  depths  of  the  ether; 
again,  idly  throwing  pebbles  into  the  flashing 
water;  hut  during  all  that  sweet,  restful  after 
noon  his  soul  was  awakening  from  its  lethargy ; 
thoughts  which  seemed  to  him  a  glimpse  of  the 
divine,  surprised  his  hitherto  dormant  intellec 
tuality ;  he  began  to  realize  that  life  held  possi 
bilities  of  which  he  had  never  caught  a  glimpse. 

Evil  is  but  good  gone  astray ;  it  is  the  oscilla 
tion  of  the  pendulum ;  Philip  had  reached  the 
adverse  limit,  and  the  pendulum  of  its  own  mo 
mentum  was  returning  to  the  center  of  gravity. 
As  deadly  nausea  is  the  precursor  of  a  cleansed 
stomach,  so  he  felt  a  thorough  disgust  with  all 
the  world,  which  meant  to  him — as  it  does  to 
every  one  of  us — the  people  with  whom  he  was 
in  daily  association;  he  indignantly  compared 
them  to  a  flock  of  geese — all  gabble  and  greed. 
It  is  a  hard  truth,  that  if  we  will  submit  to  be 
plucked  we  can  soon  find  all  the  worst  character 
istics  of  the  worst  people.  He  thought  savagely 
that  he  desired  never  to  see  one  of  them  again. 

He  took  a  small  memorandum  book  from  his 
pocket,  and  setting  down  a  few  figures  ran  them 
over  rapidly;  he  laughed  harshly,  a  sound  that 
held  the  threat  of  a  sob:  "Six  hundred  dollars! 
Well,  that  is  a  great  showing  from  fifty  thou 
sand!  No  wonder  the  elegant  Mabel  DeVere 


1M  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

gave  me  the  cold  shoulder;  she  and  her  kind 
have  no  use  for  a  man  without  money;  then 
there  was  that  little  dancer — she  had  no  further 
use  for  the  goose  after  it  was  thoroughly  plucked, 
as  she  took  pains  to  tell  me;  she  was  at  least 
honest.  They  are  all  alike,  a  treacherous,  tricky 
lot!"  he  muttered  to  himself,  with  moody  brow; 
but  he  remembered  with  a  pang  of  shame  that 
his  loving,  patient,  helpful  mother  had  been 
like  none  of  those  with  whom  he  had  associated, 
and  his  shame  was  that  he  had  sought  such  com 
pany;  it  had  been  of  his  own  choosing;  what 
better  was  he,  that  he  should  fling  at  them?  He 
was  looking  at  himself  in  a  new  light. 

He  tried  not  to  think  about  it,  it  made  him 
restless  and  ashamed;  but  such  thoughts  once 
aroused  will  not  be  quieted ;  when  the  light  is 
once  admitted  the  germ  of  higher  growth  will 
strengthen  rapidly. 

"How  sweet  it  would  be  to  live  like  this,"  he 
said  thoughtfully.  A  sudden  smile  lighted  the 
gloom  of  his  face;  ""Why  not?  I  have  my  out 
fit,  and  money  enough  to  procure  food  and  shel 
ter  whenever  I  desire  it.  It  is  not  so  very  much 
that  a  person  needs  after  all ;  it  is  what  he  fan 
cies  that  he  needs,  and  is  much  better  without, 
that  takes  the  money — and  what  his  friends 
require,"  he  added  with  a  rueful  grimace. 

In  consequence  of  this  determination,  he  took  a 
small  gripsack,  together  with  his  artist's  ma 
terials,  and  tossed  the  key  of  his  room  to  his 
landlady,  saying  nonchalantly,  "Take  care  of 
my  things;  I'll  be  back  sometime!" 

No  person  can  live  near  to  nature's  heart,  can 


FLOATING  FANCIES,  123 

share  in  her  moods,  and  drink  of  her  healing 
waters,  and  not  grow  purer  in  heart,  and 
stronger  spiritually.  Philip  began  to  lose  the 
sense  of  discord,  and  to  understand,  with  a  feel 
ing  of  humility,  that  he  had  been  in  fault;  it 
was  well  for  him  to  live  with  himself  for  awhile, 
that  he  might  learn  what  kind  of  a  man  he  Lad 
really  been. 

Toward  the  close  of  a  cloudless  July  day  he 
came  up  a  long,  grassy,  country  lane,  to  a  squat 
looking  farmhouse;  he  had  come  across  country 
many  miles,  and  had  found  a  strange  charm  in 
the  solitude.  He  was  tired  and  hungry,  and 
hailed  a  sight  of  the  house  with  pleasure.  The 
whole  place  had  a  wild  and  deserted  look;  a  few 
late  roses  hung  their  heavy  heads  from  the  un- 
pruned  bushes;  creepers  ran  riot  over  along, 
low  porch  extending  around  three  sides  of  the 
house  giving  it  the  appearance  of  a  mother  hen 
protecting  her  brood. 

As  he  assayed  to  open  the  rickety  gate  the 
tangled  morning-glorys  seemed  to  hold  it  closed 
against  him  as  though  in  warning.  A  vision  of 
supper  and  a  bed  with  cool,  sweet-scented  sheets 
had  possessed  his  mind ;  but  as  the  gate  ci'eaked 
on  its  one  rusty  hinge  and  he  felt  the  desolation 
of  the  place,  a  chill  went  over  him  and  the  com 
forting  vision  disappeared. 

A  hollow,  uncanny  reverberation  was  the  only 
answer  to  his  rapping.  He  turned  the  knob, 
which  yielded  readily  to  his  touch,  but  the  door 
swung  slowly  on  it  rusty  hinges;  stiffly  like  a 
person  old  and  tortured  with  the  rheumatism. 
He  stood  undecided,  peering  in  among  the 


124  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

shadows  of  a  long,  dimly  lighted  hall,  which  ex 
tended  the  whole  length  of  the  house,  the  doors 
opening  primly  on  either  side  along  its  entire 
length ;  plainly  no  foot  had  disturbed  the  dust 
on  this  floor  for  many  a  day.  As  be  stepped 
within  a  cloud  arose  as  though  in  protest;  he 
opened  the  first  door  on  the  right,  and  was  sur 
prised  to  find  the  room  furnished ;  the  low 
browed  ceiling  seemed  to  frown  ominously;  the 
sides  were  paneled  in  dark  wood,  being  alter 
nately  the  head  of  an  animal  and  a  flower,  ex 
quisite  in  design  and  workmanship ;  but  the 
dark  mahogany  color  added  to  the  somber  effect. 
A  square  old-fashioned  bedstead  stood  at  the  far 
corner  of  the  room,  its  tall  spindling  posts  rising 
high  toward  the  ceiling  like  uplifted  hands;  on 
one  of  these  hung  a  man's  hat.  Phil  fancied 
that  he  could  see  the  kind  of  a  man  who  had 
worn  it;  an  athletic  fellow,  not  over  nice  in  his 
dress,  judging  by  its  battered  look.  The  cloth 
ing  on  the  bed  was  pulled  awry,  as  though  the 
occupants  had  hurriedly  stepped  out,  without 
time  to  arrange  the  room;  an  easy-chair  was 
drawn  up  before  the  great,  yawning  fireplace,  in 
which  a  few  charred  sticks  lay  across  the  old 
fashioned,  brass  andirons.  On  the  mantle  stood 
a  brass  candlestick,  with  a  half-burned  candle  in 
the  socket;  a  pair  of  snuffers  on  a  tray  at  its 
side;  a  turkey  wing,  bound  with  velvet,  lay  on 
another  tray  in  the  corner  of  the  fireplace;  just 
above  it  hung  a  pair  of  old-fashioned  bellows;  a 
short,  squat  shovel,  and  a  pair  of  grotesquely, 
long  legged  tongs  stood  near;  the  two  looking 
like  a  lank  old  man,  and  his  fat,  little  wife. 


FLOATING   FANCIES.  125 

Taken  altogether,  it  Lad  a  quaint,  old-fashioned 
look,  which  told  pathetically  of  mouldering 
forms,  and  days  long  since  dead. 

All  other  rooms  in  the  house  were  entirely 
destitute  of  furniture.  He  soon  kindled  a  fire, 
and  from  a  little  stream  which  purled  through 
the  garden  he  filled  his  tin  pot  and  presently  it 
was  singing  drowsily.  Hunger  made  a  sauce 
piquant  to  his  crackers  cheese,  and  fragant  tea; 
better  relished  than  all  the  costly  dinners  eaten 
when  stomach  and  morals  both  were  overbur 
dened. 

The  sun  was  setting  in  the  west  amid  a  glory 
of  gilded  clouds;  the  wind  blew  faintly  across 
the  level  meadow  and  pasture  land;  no  sound 
disturbed  the  silence;  the  tinkle  of  a  cowbell, 
the  crowing  of  a  cock,  seemed  but  to  accentuate 
the  peace. 

Phil  brought  the  chair  out  upon  the  porch, 
and  sat  leaning  lazily  back,  dreamily  regarding 
his  surroundings.  How  much  sweeter  this  than 
the  restless,  unsatisfying  life  which  he  had  led! 
In  some  occult  manner  the  quaint  old-fashioned 
house  and  the  peaceful  scene  brought  his  mother 
before  his  mind;  the  saddened  quiet,  the  tinge  of 
sweet  loneliness,  seemed  like  a  reflection  of  her 
life.  A  wave  of  regret  swept  over  him  that  he 
had  not  been  a  better  son.  He  remembered  that 
she  had  saved  and  denied  herself  many  comforts 
that  he  might  receive  a  fine  education,  and  study 
art  under  the  most  favorable  circumstances.  He 
blushed  with  shame  to  think  how  ungrateful  he 
had  been,  and  felt  glad  that  the  money  had  not 
fallen  to  him  while  she  yet  lived,  for  he  knew 


126  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

that  his  reckless  course  would  have  grieved  her 
sorely.  Heretofore  he  had  consoled  himself 
with  the  thought  that  there  were  others  much 
worse  than  he;  he  began  to  understand  that  com 
parison  did  not  in  the  least  palliate  the  offense; 
he  felt  a  greater  twinge  of  shame  as  he  thought 
of  some  of  his  past  actions,  that  thus  he  had 
wronged  her  memory,  her  teachings,  and  his 
higher  self. 

He  drifted  from  regretful  thought  into  slum 
ber. 

It  had  grown  dark ;  the  wind  had  arisen  with 
the  going  down  of  the  sun,  and  the  loose  boards 
were  rattling  noisily;  the  vines  were  swaying  to 
and  fro,  but  the  stars  blinked  in  the  darkened 
vault  in  a  quizzical  manner  as  he  started  up  in 
affright.  He  thought  that  he  felt  a  hand  upon 
his  shoulder,  and  that  he  beheld  the  shadowy 
outline  of  a  form  within  the  room. 

He  stood  up  and  shook  himself  vigorously:  "I 
must  have  been  dreaming;  this  wind  is  uncom 
fortably  cold,"  he  said,  with  a  shiver. 

He  went  in,  and  lighted  the  candle;  he  built 
a  fire  which  leaped  and  flared  up  the  broad- 
mouthed  fireplace,  throwing  jolly,  fantastic 
shadows  over  the  great  room,  much  more  sugges 
tive  of  the  pla3r  of  elfins  than  the  gloomy  walk 
ing  of  ghosts.  He  sat  drowsily  looking  into  the 
coals;  the  fire  had  burned  low,  and  the  room 
was  in  half  shadow,  with  a  fitful  lighting  up  now 
and  then ;  a  cold  wind  struck  him,  and  he 
seemed  impelled  by  some  unseen  force  to  look 
toward  the  bed ;  the  battered  hat  appeared  to  be 
rising  of  its  own  volition  above  the  tall  post,  and 


FLOATING   FANCIES.  127 

the  face  of  a  man  fitted  itself  beneath  it;  a  cruel 
face  the  white  brow  beetling  over  deep  set,  pierc 
ing  ej'es;  the  jaw  massive  and  square;  the  lips 
thin,  a  mere  line  across  the  resolute  face;  the 
whole  countenance  imbued  with  a  strange  fierce 
beauty ;  a  man  who  would  allow  nothing  to  stand 
in  the  way  of  his  will.  Phil  started  up  with  a 
gasp  of  terror;  he  felt  suffocated. 

"Great  God!  Is  this  place  haunted,  or  have 
la  bad  case  of  nightmare?"  he  exclaimed  aloud. 

He  could  have  sworn  that  he  heard  a  laugh, 
shrill  and  blood  curdling;  but  perhaps  it  was 
but  the  wind  among  the  gnarled  apple  trees — 
our  imagination  plays  us  strange  tricks,  and  the 
furnishings  and  appearance  of  a  room  have  dis 
astrous  effect  upon  our  nerves  at  times. 

He  slept  but  fitfully  the  whole  night,  although 
nothing  more  occurred  to  alarm  him,  and  with 
the  coming  of  the  morning  sun  he  thought  it  all 
a  dream. 

After  he  had  his  breakfast  he  took  his  easel 
out  upon  the  porch ;  he  felt  ashamed  of  the 
wasted  hours  which  lay  behind  him,  and  deter 
mined  to  be  more  diligent;  he  placed  his  board, 
took  his  pencil  in  his  hand — and  sat  staring 
straight  before  him.  He  sought  vainly  for  an 
inspiration;  his  brain  seemed  empty,  imagina 
tion  dead.  But  one  object  rose  before  his  men 
tal  vision — the  face  he  had  seen  under  the  old 
hat! 

He  felt  tempted  to  throw  pencils  and  board  in 
among  the  weeds.  He  left  the  easel  standing, 
and  went  for  a  long  walk;  while  walking  his 
imagination  leaped  responsive  to  his  desire ;  he 


128  FLOATING   FANCIES. 

outlined  his  work,  and  hastened  back  eager  to 
commence;  but  as  he  once  more  seated  himself, 
the  same  tormenting  sense  of  inability  assailed 
him ;  the  same  terrifying  face  came  ever  be 
tween  him  and  the  board. 

With  an  angry  exclamation  he  commenced 
sketching;  at  onco  he  lost  all  feeling  of  uncer 
tainty;  he  worked  feverishly,  and  line  by  line 
the  face  grew  before  him ;  he  seemed  inspired  by 
some  power  other  than  his  own;  a  mole  in  front 
of  the  ear,  a  dimple  in  the  chin,  which  he  did 
not  remember  having  seen,  grew  under  his  hand. 
A  face  of  strange  beauty,  but  from  every  linea 
ment  shone  forth  a  fierce  unconquerable  nature, 
and  at  last,  as  the  light  was  fading,  he  threw 
down  his  pencil  and  stepped  back  to  look  at  it; 
he  saw  the  ghostly  counterpart  hovering  just 
above  it;  he  gave  utterance  to  a  frightened  ex 
clamation;  then  said  angrily:  "I've  looked  so 
steadily  at  that  thing,  that  I  see  double;  I'll 
take  a  run  and  rest  myself." 

So  he  carried  everything  within,  and  took  his 
way  to  the  lone  farmhouse  visible  in  the  dis 
tance;  he  found  the  place  occupied  by  an  elderly 
couple.  After  some  desultory  talk,  he  ques 
tioned  the  woman  about  the  old  house  and  its 
former  occupants;  she,  nothing  averse,  told  him 
the  following  story  : 

The  house  was  built  long  before  her  birth,  by 
a  strange,  foreign  looking  man,  who,  although 
he  appeared  to  be  wealthy,  lived  the  life  of  a  re 
cluse.  He  suddenly  disappeared,  and  what  be 
came  of  him  no  one  ever  knew ;  the  estate  was 
finally  sold  by  the  courts,  and  John  Hilyer,  then 


FLOATING   FANCIES.  145 

That  evening,  sitting  in  the  twilight,  she 
finished  the  story  of  that  awful  night. 

She  became  acquainted  with  John  Hilyer 
through  a  young  friend  in  the  city;  none  of  her 
people  liked  him,  they  bitterly  opposed  her  see 
ing  him.  John,  with  all  the  fiery  impetuosity 
of  his  nature,  had  fallen  in  love  with  her;  it  was 
mating  the  dove  with  the  fierce  bird  of  prey;  he 
fairly  compelled  her  with  his  fiery  persistence. 
She  at  last  eloped  with  him,  and  they  were  mar 
ried  ;  he  loved  her  too  truly  to  wrong  her.  For 
three  months  they  traveled,  he  then  made  prep 
arations  to  take  her  to  his  home.  Often  his 
fierce  love  frightened  her;  she  adored  him,  but 
she  was  afraid  of  him. 

He  knew  all  of  her  family  except  one  brother, 
whom  he  had  never  seen.  The  whole  family 
misjudged  him  in  thinking  that  he  had  wronged 
the  girl;  the  brother  whom  he  had  never  met 
endeavored  to  find  them ;  but  it  was  not  until 
they  were  returning  to  the  old  home  that  he 
obtained  a  trace  of  them.  When  they  were  first 
married  Amanda  wished  to  write  to  her  people, 
but  John  sternly  forbade  it. 

It  was  night  when  they  reached  home ;  John 
kindled  a  fire,  seated  her  in  the  great  easy-chair 
with  much  ceremony,  and  with  many  fond  words, 
and  fierce  kisses  made  his  wife  welcome. 

He  had  scarcely  left  the  house  to  care  for  the 
team  which  brought  them,  when  her  brother 
burst  into  the  room ;  the  happy  smiles  died  upon 
her  lips,  never  to  return  again.  She  trembled 
with  affright;  she  knew  that  John  might  return 
at  any  moment  and  she  feared  his  anger.  She 


146  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

excitedly  rose  to  her  feet,  and  advanced  to  the 
center  of  the  room,  and  as  the  accusation  of 
shame  left  her  brother's  lips,  she  sank  upon  her 
knees,  sobbing  forth  her  denial ;  at  first  he  scoffed 
at  her  words;  but  as  conviction  of  the  truth 
was  forced  upon  him,  he  begged  her  pardon, 
and  stooped  to  kiss  her  bowed  head;  through 
the  uncurtained  window  John  witnessed  the 
closing  part  of  the  scene. 

In  his  hand  he  had  a  hatchet,  with  which  to 
cut  kindling  for  the  fire;  in  an  instant  the 
demon  of  jealousy  sprang  to  life  full  grown;  he 
did  not  consider  the  absurdity  of  his  thought — 
does  jealousy  ever  consider?  His  mind  held  no 
thought  but  that  this  man  was  his  wife's  lover, 
and  the  fancied  knowledge  drove  him  insane. 
He  silently  let  himself  into  the  room,  creeping, 
creeping  up  behind  them;  as  the  brother  stooped 
over  to  caress  her,  John  dealt  him  a  fearful  blow; 
Amanda  raised  her  face  with  a  horrified  cry; 
with  an  infuriated  epithet  he  struck  her,  the 
blow  was  sufficiently  hard  to  render  her  insensi 
ble,  but  her  heavy  garments  saved  her  life.  Re 
gaining  consciousness,  the  brother  fought  des 
perately,  but  against  a  madman  he  had  no  chance 
in  his  favor. 

When  his  opponent  lay  before  him,  a  livid 
corpse,  still  no  compunction  touched  his  con 
science;  he  spurned  the  lifeless  form  with  his 
foot,  and  dragged  him  out  as  he  would  have  cast 
out  a  dead  dog ;  he  threw  the  body  into  the  well 
at  the  end  of  the  porch,  and  returned  to  ths 
room. 

Amanda  recovered  consciousness    during    the 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  147 

struggle  between  the  two  men,  but  she  was  with 
out  power  either  of  speech  or  motion;  horror 
held  her  dumb,  her  brain  only  held  life.  She 
tried  to  cry  out  but  could  not,  she  was  like  one 
in  a  trance,  even  when  John  lifted  her  in  his 
arms,  and  cast  her  from  him,  she  had  little  sense 
of  the  horror  of  her  situation;  something  caught 
her,  and  with  a  sudden  jerk,  she  felt  herself 
susj  ended.  She  had  no  idea  of  what  held  her, 
or  what  would  become  of  her  should  the  fabric 
give  way.  Instinctively  she  threw  up  her  arm 
as  her  head  came  in  contact  with  a  timber,  and 
for  a  few  seconds  she  hung  there  without  con 
sciousness  enough  to  make  an  effort. 

Then  a  sudden  terror  of  the  unknown  shook 
her,  and  she  made  an  effort  to  raise  herself;  it 
was  well  for  her  that  she  could  not  see  the  dizzy 
depth  beneath  her,  in  such  situations  fear  is  our 
worst  enemy.  She  cautiously  raised  herself  by 
a  board  above  her  head,  until  she  could  loosen 
her  sleeve  from  a  large  hook,  upon  which  it  had 
caught;  she  then  easily  raised  herself  until  she 
could  climb  over  the  low  curb,  and  stood  upon 
the  ground  outside ;  here  she  sank  down,  weak 
and  trembling  for  a  few  minutes.  Then,  though 
a  chill  fear  assailed  her,  she  determined  to  go 
into  the  house;  she  wondered  where  her  brother 
was,  that  he  did  not  come  to  her  rescue ;  but  she 
must  go  in!  John,  her  John,  would  surely  not 
harm  her  knowingly ;  she  dragged  herself  along 
wearily,  holding  on  to  the  side  of  the  house  for 
support;  she  felt  so  sick  and  tired. 

She  looked  in  through  one  of  the  long  win 
dows,  the  candle  had  been  extinguished  long 


148  FLOATING   FANCIES. 

since  by  a  draught  of  wind,  the  fire  had  burned 
low,  and  only  an  occasional  fitful  blaze  leaped 
up,  and  lighted  the  room  intermittently;  in  one 
of  the  flashes  she  saw  John  lying  in  the  middle 
of  the  floor. 

"Poor  fellow,  he  is  sorry  now  that  he  gave 
v?ay  to  his  quick  temper,  and  he  is  lying  there 
grieving.  I  wonder  where  Brother  Ernest  is?" 

She  pulled  herself  slowly  into  the  room ;  the 
wall  clock  ticked  loudly,  its  long  pendulum 
seeming  to  take  a  preternatural  sweep;  as  she 
neared  the  recumbent  figure  the  fire  crackled 
ominously,  and  the  blaze  flared  up  redly,  like 
blood ;  she  shivered  as  she  bent  over  the  recum 
bent  figure.  A  brand  fell  to  the  earth,  a  bright 
flame  shot  up  lighting  all  the  room,  and  the 
pallid  face  of  the  dead  man.  The  horror  and 
desolation  of  all  things  smote  her  with  sudden 
madness. 

Months  afterward  she  wandered  into  her  old 
home;  it  was  in  dead  of  winter,  she  was  half 
naked,  white  haired,  wan,  and  emaciated;  her 
father  and  mother  remembered  nothing,  save 
that  she  was  their  child.  For  weeks  she  lay  on 
the  bed,  white  and  silent,  or  sat  in  an  easy-chair 
beside  a  sunny  window,  propped  up  with  pil 
lows,  but  when  her  baby  girl  was  laid  in  her 
arms  she  looked  at  it  with  the  light  of  love  and 
reason  in  her  sad  eyes;  but  the  same  silence 
which  had  characterized  her  lunacy,  remained 
in  her  sanity.  Of  what  use  to  explain  to  them 
those  awful  incidents;  they  did  not  believe  that 
she  was  John  Hilyer's  wife — why  should  she 
make  further  explanation  to  be  disbelieved? 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  149 

She  was  either  morbidly  wrong,  or — still  a  little 
unbalanced  by  all  that  she  had  endured. 

She  named  her  babe  Maida  Hilyer,  but  all 
persisted  in  calling  the  child  Cosgrove. 

"The  name  doesn't  matter,"  she  said  sadly; 
but  later  when  she  saw  her  supposed  sin  visited 
upon  the  innocent  child  she  cried  aloud  to  the 
All  Merciful  to  right  her  wrong. 

The  ways  of  the  All  "Wise  are  not  our  ways, 
very  fortunately,  or  things  would  be  greatly 
muddled.  The  old  father  and  mother  died,  but 
Amanda  and  her  child  remained  at  the  farm. 

Maida  was  eighteen,  a  gentle,  rarely  thought 
ful  girl;  her  mother's  sorrow  seemed  to  have  left 
its  impress  on  her  character  and  mind;  she 
early  showed  a  decided  artistic  talent,  which  her 
mother  took  pains  to  cultivate;  all  went  well 
until  Maida  gained  recognition;  then  that 
jealousy  which  ever  seems  to  lie  in  wait  for  un- 
propitious  circumstances,  seized  upon  the  name 
she  bore  to  taunt  her. 

Poor  Maida!  She  threw  herself  into  her 
mother's  arms,  ready  to  give  up  her  chosen  pro 
fession.  Her  mother  said  sadly:  "Be  brave,  my 
child!  I  know  that  some  day  the  truth  will  come 
to  light!" 

Maida  thought  continually  of  her  mother's 
words,  and  with  all  her  soul  sought  to  reach  the 
one  who  she  felt  was  destined  to  help  right  the 
grievous  wrong;  but  she  continued  her  work  as 
sweetly  and  firmly  as  though  no  wound  was 
there. 

One  night  her  mother  dreamed  of  the  old 
house,  it  looked  as  it  did  the  night  of  the 


150  FLOATING  FANCIES, 

tragedy ;  she  saw  a  strange  form  there,  and  she 
reached  out  her  hands  supplicatingly,  beseech 
ing  his  help;  to  her  spiritual  sense  it  was  made 
manifest  that  her  wish  should  be  accomplished ; 
she  told  this  to  Maida,  and  the  two  talked  of  the 
little  else,  and  thought  of  it  without  cessation, 
until  night  after  night  in  her  dreams  Maida 
stood  by  that  stranger's  form,  urging  him  to 
clear  up  the  mystery. 

The  will  inclosed  with  the  certificate  gave  all 
of  his  property  to  his  "beloved  wife,  Amanda 
Cosgrove  Hilyer. " 

There  was  no  more  cause  to  taunt  Maida,  and 
there  was  no  opposition  to  Amanda's  taking  pos 
session  of  the  property,  which  necessitated  a 
visit  to  the  place.  Amanda  walked  silently 
about:  "Poor  John!  Poor  John!"  she  said 
pathetically;  they  looked  shudderingly  down 
into  the  depths  of  the  old  well,  and  as  though 
some  occult  influence  prompted  her,  Amanda 
said,  "I  wonder  what  became  of  brother  Ernest. 
No  one  ever  saw  him  after  that  time;  I  wish  that 
I  knew!" 

Philip  thought  it  far  better  that  she  did  not 
know,  therefore  he  kept  silence. 

The  hook  upon  which  Amanda  had  caught  was 
still  firmly  imbedded  in  the  beam;  in  the  elder 
Mrs.  Hilyer's  day  it  had  been  used  to  suspend 
butter  and  cream  into  the  cool  depths  below. 

Philip  showed  them  the  secret  panel,  and  in 
doing  so  discovered  another  secret  for  himself; 
the  lower  portion  of  the  panel  formed  a  drawer; 
as  long  as  the  drawer  remained  open,  the  mouth 
of  the  dog  would  not  close,  but  as  the  drawer 


FLOATING  FANCIES,  151 

was  shut,  the  mouth  came  together  with  a  vicious 
snap,  as  though  the  thing  were  possessed  of  life. 
This  drawer  contained  all  of  John  Hilyer's 
papers,  and  a  large  sum  of  money;  and  here  also 
they  found  the  story  of  the  lonely  heart  life  of  a 
man  of  strong  feeling,  and  untaught,  ungov- 
erned  passions;  a  sad  record  of  a  noble  soul 
gone  astray. 

Phil  and  his  wife  Maida  are  very  happy, 
and  with  the  gentle,  white-haired  mother,  they 
live  in  the  pleasant  cottage  where  Phil  in  his 
concentration  first  saw  them. 


152  FLOATING  FANCIES. 


A  NINETEENTH  CENTUKY  GHOST. 

MY  health  had  failed  at  last  through  constant 
work,  long  hours,  insufficient  and  irregular  diet, 
and  my  nerves  paid  the  penalty  for  thus  trans 
gressing  nature's  laws.  Every  sin  brings  its 
own  punishment,  whether  it  be  mental,  moral, 
or  physical ;  it  may  be  that  payment  is  not  ex 
acted  to  day,  or  to-morrow,  but  sooner  or  later 
the  penalty  will  surely  follow  the  sin. 

I  was  in  fact  mentally,  as  well  as  bodily  ex 
hausted  ;  I  had  reached  the  very  depths  of  dis 
gust;  nothing  seemed  worth  doing,  everything 
was  useless;  work  was  worse  than  useless,  a 
foolishness;  pleasure — nothing  was  a  pleasure. 
Like  one  of  old  I  cried  out:  "All  is  vanity  and 
vexation  of  spirit." 

I  went  into  the  country;  not  to  a  distant  rail 
way  station,  to  become  one  of  a  dissatisfied  mob 
at  a  crowded  summer  hotel,  but  into  the  very 
heart  of  the  green  hills,  where  the  limpid  streams 
gurgled  for  very  joy,  as  they  frolicked  on  their 
way  to  the  distant  river;  where  the  woods  were 
BO  dense  that  the  sun  could  only  play  hide  and 
seek  with  the  softly  fluttering  leaves,  once  in  a 
while  touching  the  soft  mossy  carpet,  or  the 
glossy  leaves  of  the  scarlet  checkerberries 
lovingly. 

Here  I  found  the  dearest,  quaintest  old  houses 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  153 

•with  pointed  gables  under  which  the  noisy  swal 
lows  built  their  nests  of  mud — a  house  with 
small,  many-paned  windows,  and  great,  yawning 
fireplaces. 

The  simple-hearted  old  people  who  owned  the 
place  welcomed  me  with  unaffected  curiosity. 

I  dawdled  in  the  evenings  in  the  sitting  room 
with  grandpa  and  grandma  Yoemaa,  with  no 
light  save  the  flickering  blaze  of  the  hickory 
logs;  idly  watching  the  pictures  in  the  glowing 
coals,  and  dreaming  strange  sweet  dreams,  which 
ever  held  a  reflection  of  entrancing  sadness. 

The  fitful  blaze  cast  strange  lights  and  shad 
ows  on  the  low  ceiling;  glinting  on  grandma's 
busy  knitting  needles;  brightening  and  fading 
like  an  uncertain  life. 

Occasionally  one  of  the  neighbors  came  in  to 
exchange  news  about  the  planting;  to  borrow  or 
"swap"  garden  seeds;  to  speculate  on  the 
weather;  the  greater  reason  being  to  see  the  city 
boarder. 

Sometimes  their  frank  inquisitiveness  amused, 
at  other  times  it  annoyed  me. 

I  had  been  there  a  month ;  the  weather  had 
grown  too  warm  to  permit  a  tire  in  the  evening, 
and  the  sitting  room  looked  dismal  with  its  one 
small  kerosene  lamp,  around  which  the  moths 
fluttered,  and  singed  their  foolish  wings,  nearly 
obscuring  the  light. 

"Drat  the  things,"  said  grandma,  from  time 
to  time. 

Heavy  clouds  lay  low  in  the  west,  and  the 
occasional  low  growling  of  thunder  indicated  the 


154  FLOATING  FANCIES, 

coming  of  a  storm ;  the  breeze  scarcely  lifted 
the  muslin  curtain  at  the  window. 

A  rush  of  homesickness  came  over  me;  the 
gloom  depressed  me,  and  left  me  wretched;  the 
sultry  atmosphere  seemed  unbearable;  the  quaint, 
low-ceiled  rooms  seemed  suffocating,  and  detesta 
bly  ugly,  and  I  wondered  that  I  could  have 
thought  them  so  charming. 

I  hurried  away  to  my  room,  which  was  at  the 
further  end  of  the  house,  to  hide  my  tears.  The 
long,  draughty  hall  seemed  tilled  with  lurking 
shadows;  I  thought  it  endless,  and  was  sure  that 
the  doors  were  opening  on  either  side  as  I 
passed.  I  dashed  open  the  door  of  my  own 
room,  and  for  a  few  breathless  minutes  crouched 
in  the  corner  most  thoroughly  frightened.  Pres 
ently,  ashamed  of  my  childish  terror,  I  arose  and 
lighted  my  lamp. 

I  could  not  shake  off  the  frightened  feeling; 
the  dim,  uncertain  light  of  the  small  lamp  left 
the  corners  of  the  room  in  wavering  gloom;  the 
gathering  clouds  sent  out  their  advance  signals 
— a  fitful  gust  of  moist  wind — now  and  then, 
which  suddenly  flapped  the  curtain  at  the  win 
dow  as  though  shaken  by  an  angry  hand,  and 
swayed  the  old  fashioned  valance  to  the  bed 
until  I  felt  ready  to  scream. 

I  closed  the  blinds,  turned  the  blaze  of  the 
lamp  still  higher,  endeavoring  to  make  the  room 
look  cheerful.  Ah,  well!  The  cheerfulness 
oftener  comes  from  within  than  without,  and  I 
was  nervously  depressed  and  homesick. 

I  was  in  that  restless  mood  in  which  every 
thing  is  irksome.  I  wished  to  write,  I  could 


FLOATING  FANCIES,  155 

not;  a  thousand  elusive  fancies  floated  by  me 
like  thistledown ;  my  mind  reached  out  to  grasp 
them — a  tantalizing  caprice  of  the  brain,  a  feel 
ing  of  mental  inadequacy — and  they  were  gone 
into  the  realm  of  the  goblin,  Incompetent. 

I  threw  down  the  pen:  "What  a  strange  thing 
the  brain  is!  At  times  docile  and  obedient; 
again,  willful,  elusive,  exasperating;  a  thing 
over  which  one  has  no  control,"  I  cried  angrily. 

I  walked  restlessly  up  and  down  the  room 
until  I  was  fatigued,  and  impatiently  threw  my 
self  into  a  great  armchair;  taking  up  an  unfin 
ished  book  I  tried  to  read,  I  turned  a  page  or 
two  without  comprehending  a  thought;  I  threw 
the  book  to  the  furthest  corner  of  the  room  in 
anger  and  disgust. 

Again  I  walked  the  floor  impatiently,  and 
in  the  same  wretched  mood,  undressed  and  went 
to  bed,  where  I  vainly  endeavored  to  sleep. 

The  clouds,  which  had  been  gathering  since 
dusk,  now  marshalled  their  forces  for  battle;  the 
vivid  lightning  played  about  the  room  in  wildly 
fantastic  manner;  a  momentary  white  glare, 
then  the  darkness  of  Inferno.  The  heavy  thun 
der  growled  an  accompaniment,  or  broke  into  a 
sharp  crash,  dying  away  like  the  angry  growl  of 
the  discomfited  storm  fiend. 

The  wind  arose,  and  swung  the  rickety  shut 
ters  to  and  fro  throughout  the  whole  house  with 
many  an  angry  crash ;  the  dead  branches  of  an 
old  tree — standing  by  the  corner  window — 
tapped  on  the  shaking  pane  with  ghostly  fingers. 

I  had  extinguished  my  light,  the  flame  an 
noyed  me;  and  now — from  being  nervous — I  be- 


156  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

came  hysterical.  Several  times,  as  a  vivid  glow 
illumined  the  room,  followed  by  an  awful  crash, 
I  screamed  outright;  it  disturbed  no  one; 
grandma  and  grandpa  Yoeman  slept  in  the  far 
end  of  the  house.  I  became  so  frightened  that  I 
pulled  the  covers  over  my  head  and  lay  there 
shivering. 

The  electrical  storm  had  somewhat  subsided, 
but  the  wind  was  blowing  shrilly,  and  the  rain 
coming  down  in  sheets. 

Some  impulse  compelled  me  to  uncover  my 
head;  a  nervous  sensation  that  something  or 
some  one  was  in  the  room — a  terror  of  the  un 
seen.  I  drew  down  the  bedclothes,  arose  on. 
one  elbow,  and  gave  a  horrified  scream,  which 
died  away  in  an  awful  constriction  of  the  throat. 

A  figure  floated  before  my  affrighted  eyes; 
now  coming  toward  me  a  pace,  then  receding; 
disappearing  only  to  return  again.  It  seemed  to 
float  in  the  air  with  a  strange  undulating  motion. 
I  could  not  turn  my  eyes  away,  although  filled 
with  a  mortal  terror.  It  stood  out  like  a  pic 
ture,  clear  and  distinct,  as  though  the  body  were 
filled  with  luminous  light;  the  turn  of  the  head, 
the  glint  of  the  hair,  suggestive  of  one  whom  I 
had  known  and  hated  in  the  past — which  it  still 
drove  me  mad  to  remember — as  I  perceived  the 
likeness,  or  as  it  seemed,  the  reality,  all  fear  left 
me ;  instantly  my  soul  was  filled  with  wrath ;  all 
the  old  agony  came  over  me  like  an  overwhelm 
ing  flood;  I  seemed  to  feel  again  all  the  pangs 
caused  by  the  treachery  and  deceit  of  that  false 
friend.  I  started  up  with  a  bitter  cry,  and 
rushed  at  the  hated  face  to  rend  it. 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  157 

My  bauds  clutched  but  empty  air!  The  vision 
\vas  as  elusive  as  had  been  my  thoughts;  I  could 
grasp  neither. 

I  crept  back  into  bed  bathed  in  a  cold  per 
spiration,  and  such  was  my  mental  and  bodily 
exhaustion  that  I  sank  into  a  stupor  and  knew 
no  more  until  morning. 

When  I  awoke  the  sun  was  shining  brightly, 
and  as  I  jumped  out  of  bed  and  threw  open  the 
blinds  my  fears  of  the  past  night  seemed  like  an 
absurd  dream. 

The  face  of  nature  looked  so  refreshed  after 
her  bath;  the  geutle  breeze  shook  the  blossom 
ing  lilacs,  to  which  the  raindrops  still  clung  like 
countless  jewels;  their  odor  came  deliciously 
wafted  to  me  as  I  leaned  from  the  open  windows; 
the  grass  glittered  with  clinging  moisture  among 
ita  tender  green ;  a  bluebird  swung  on  the 
branch  of  a  guarled  old  apple  tree  just  burst 
ing  into  bloom  and  let  out  a  flood  of  glorious 
song;  a  meadow  lark,  sitting  on  the  single  post 
which  rose  above  its  fellows,  accepted  the  chal 
lenge  and  sang  with  all  his  might:  "Sweet, 
Bweet,  sweet;  John  G.  Whittier!"  again  and 
again. 

Fear  seemed  most  absurd  with  all  this  wealth 
of  sunshine  and  springing  vegetation  around  me; 
but  grandma  Yoeman  said  to  me  as  I  entered  the 
kitchen  for  breakfast,  "You  look  awfully  peaked, 
Miss  Eda;  was  you  so  'fraid  of  the  storm  that 
you  didn't  sleep  well?" 

"Oh,  I'm  all  right,  grandma!"  Nevertheless, 
I  could  not  eat  my  breafast  of  hot  biscuit,  golden 
honey,  ham  and  eggs;  although  I  made  a  pre- 


158  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

tense  of  enjoying  the  food,  as  I  knew  that 
grandma  tried  very  hard  to  please  me. 

When  night  came  my  nerves  again  asserted 
themselves;  every  sound  made  me  start  appre 
hensively.  My  window  was  wide  open;  the 
great  old  lilac  bushes  seemed  to  lean  caressingly 
in,  their  odor  borne  to  me  on  the  soft,  warm 
wind,  as  it  playfully  lifted  the  thin  curtain. 

All  was  so  balmy,  quiet  and  sweet  that  after 
a  time  it  soothed  my  excited  nerves,  and  I  slept 
soundly  until  morning. 

Thus  it  continued  for  two  weeks,  until  I  began 
to  think  that  I  must  have  been  dreaming.  I 
saw  nothing,  I  heard  nothing  more  alarming 
than  the  rats,  which  scurried  up  and  down  be 
tween  the  plastering  and  the  clapboards,  or 
gnawed  industriously  at  the  narrow  base. 

I  had  been  roaming  over  the  fields  all  day;  I 
had  climbed  from  rock  to  rock  down  the  shallow 
creek  as  happy  as  a  child ;  I  had  lain  on  the  last 
year's  leaves,  and  plaited  a  crown  of  checker- 
berries,  the  glossy  green  of  the  leaf,  and  the  bril 
liant  red  of  the  berries  forming  a  lovely  contrast. 
I  gathered  also  a  great  bunch  of  wild  forget- 
me-nots;  it  was  sunset  when  I  reached  home;  I 
placed  the  flowers  on  the  little  stand  in  front  of 
the  mirror,  and  hung  the  wreath  above  it,  so 
that  the  mirror  reflected  it  like  a  duplicate. 

I  retired  early,  and  immediately  dropped  to 
sleep.  Some  time  during  the  night  I  was  awak 
ened — it  might  have  been  a  shutter  that 
slammed,  or  a  door  in  one  of  the  empty  rooms — 
in  my  half-awakened  state  it  sounded  like  a  pis 
tol  shot.  As  I  started  up  in  bed  I  became  coa- 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  159 

Bcious  of  an  unusual  commotion ;  the  trees  were 
swaying  and  creaking;  the  lilacs  beut  and  shiv 
ered;  my  curtains  were  swept  straight  out  into 
the  room,  and  as  I  looked  with  startled  eyes  the 
luminous  figure  once  more  stood  before  me, 
fearfully  distinct;  the  bouquet  of  forget-me-nots 
I  had  gathered  held  in  her  hand;  the  crown  of 
leaves  and  berries  resting  on  her  head ;  even  in 
my  awful  fright  I  observed  that  it  was  tipped 
coQuetishly  over  the  right  side  of  the  head,  in 
stead  of  being  set  demurely  on  top.  She  seemed 
to  advance  and  recede,  waving  the  flowers  at  me 
derisively ;  again  the  resemblance  to  that  woman 
whom  my  soul  loathed  struck  me  with  a  sickening 
sense  of  pain  and  hatred. 

I  had  often  listened  to  my  old  grandmother  as 
she  told  tales  of  supernatural  visitations  and 
mysterious  warnings;  of  the  death  watch  in  the 
wall,  and  that  immediately  following  these 
prognostications  some  beloved  one  surely  de 
parted  this  life;  she  related  instances  of  ghostly 
tappings  on  the  headboard,  and  of  a  deadly  chill, 
like  a  cadaverous  finger,  creeping  up  and  down 
the  spine,  to  warn  the  unhappy  recipient  that  a 
stranger  was  treading  on  their  future  grave. 

These  half-forgotten  teachings  recurred  to  me 
with  awful  vividness,  and  I  experienced  the  same 
sensations  which  drove  me,  at  that  time,  shivering 
to  my  bed  to  lie  with  sleepless  eyes  listening  for 
the  dread  signal.  I  felt  sure  that  this  "presence" 
was  a  warning  that  my  death  was  near,  and  that 
she  brought  the  message,  was  an  added  menace 
— unless  I  forgave  her.  I  had  never  known  hate 
of  any  other  being  in  my  life ;  I  had  said  egotis- 


160  FLOATING   FANCIES. 

tically  that  it  was  not  in  my  nature  to  hate. 
Circumstances  show  us  that  we  have  a  very 
limited  acquaintance  with  our  capabilities  and 
proclivities;  I  learned  that  lesson  through  fiery 
tribulation.  Another  thing  which  I  had  been 
taught  as  a  child  now  recurred  to  my  mind  as  a 
torment.  I  had  been  taught  that  I  must  forgive, 
if  I  would  be  forgiven,  and  that  I  must  love  my 
enemj'. 

How  could  I  forgive  her?  Though  death,  or 
that  punishment  which  I  had  been  taught  would 
come  after  death,  should  stare  me  in  the  face,  I 
could  not  forgive  the  deliberate  wrecking  of  my 
life's  happiness. 

The  vision  disappeared  while  these  tormenting 
thoughts  raced  each  other  through  my  mind; 
as  suddenly  returning,  it  advanced  menacingly 
toward  the  bed. 

A  fresh  blast  of  wind  shook  the  old  house  from 
garret  to  foundation;  doors  crashed,  blinds  rat 
tled  and  shook;  trees  swayed  and  groaned  dis 
mally;  the  low  of  the  frightened  cattle  was  borne 
on  the  wings  of  the  blast;  a  dog  howled  dis 
mally  from  out  the  darkness.  I  could  look  no 
more;  I  covered  my  head  and  shivered  with 
mortal  terror.  The  following  morning  I  was 
unable  to  rise;  there  was  no  questioning  in  my 
mind.  I  felt  sure  that  1  was  doomed ;  that  the 
warning  was  not  only  of  my  demise,  but  of 
future  punishment  as  well,  unless  I  forgave  the 
bearer  of  that  message.  This  last  thought  con 
tinually  tortured  me.  How  could  I  force  for 
giveness?  I  might  profess  it,  I  might  even  try 
and  cheat  myself  into  thinking  it;  but  the 


FLOATING   FANCIES.  14:5 

That  evening,  sitting  in  the  twilight,  she 
finished  the  story  of  that  awful  night. 

She  became  acquainted  with  John  Hilyer 
through  a  young  friend  in  the  city;  none  of  her 
people  liked  him,  they  bitterly  opposed  her  see 
ing  him.  John,  with  all  the  fiery  impetuosity 
of  his  nature,  had  fallen  in  love  with  her;  it  was 
mating  the  dove  with  the  fierce  bird  of  prey ;  he 
fairly  compelled  her  with  his  fiery  persistence. 
She  at  last  eloped  with  him,  and  they  were  mar 
ried  ;  he  loved  her  too  truly  to  wrong  her.  For 
three  months  they  traveled,  he  then  made  prep 
arations  to  take  her  to  his  home.  Often  his 
fierce  love  frightened  her;  she  adored  him,  but 
she  was  afraid  of  him. 

He  knew  all  of  her  family  except  one  brother, 
whom  he  had  never  seen.  The  whole  family 
misjudged  him  in  thinking  that  he  had  wronged 
the  girl ;  the  brother  whom  he  had  never  met 
endeavored  to  find  them ;  but  it  was  not  until 
they  were  returning  to  the  old  home  that  he 
obtained  a  trace  of  them.  When  they  were  first 
married  Amanda  wished  to  write  to  her  people, 
but  John  sternly  forbade  it. 

It  Avas  night  when  they  reached  home ;  John 
kindled  a  fire,  seated  her  in  the  great  easy-chair 
with  much  ceremony,  and  with  many  fond  words, 
and  fierce  kisses  made  his  wife  welcome. 

He  had  scarcely  left  the  house  to  care  for  the 
team  which  brought  them,  when  her  brother 
burst  into  the  room ;  the  happy  smiles  died  upon 
her  lips,  never  to  return  again.  She  trembled 
with  affright;  she  knew  that  John  might  return 
at  any  moment  and  she  feared  his  anger.  She 


146  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

excitedly  rose  to  her  feet,  and  advanced  to  the 
center  of  the  room,  and  as  the  accusation  of 
shame  left  her  brother's  lips,  she  sank  upon  her 
knees,  sobbing  forth  her  denial ;  at  first  he  scoffed 
at  her  words;  but  as  conviction  of  the  truth 
was  forced  upon  him,  he  begged  her  pardon, 
and  stooped  to  kiss  her  bowed  head;  through 
the  uncurtained  window  John  witnessed  the 
closing  part  of  the  scene. 

In  his  hand  he  had  a  hatchet,  with  which  to 
cut  kindling  for  the  fire;  in  an  instant  the 
demon  of  jealousy  sprang  to  life  full  grown;  he 
did  not  consider  the  absurdit3r  of  his  thought — 
does  jealousy  ever  consider?  His  mind  held  no 
thought  but  that  this  man  was  his  wife's  lover, 
and  the  fancied  knowledge  drove  him  insane. 
He  silently  let  himself  into  the  room,  creeping, 
creeping  up  behind  them;  as  the  brother  stooped 
over  to  caress  her,  John  dealt  him  a  fearful  blow; 
Amanda  raised  her  face  with  a  horrified  cry; 
with  an  infuriated  epithet  he  struck  her,  the 
blow  was  sufficiently  hard  to  render  her  insensi 
ble,  but  her  heavy  garments  saved  her  life.  Ee- 
gaining  consciousness,  the  brother  fought  des 
perately,  but  against  a  madman  he  had  no  chance 
in  his  favor. 

When  his  opponent  la.v  before  him,  a  livid 
corpse,  still  no  compunction  touched  his  con 
science;  he  spurned  the  lifeless  form  with  his 
foot,  and  dragged  him  out  as  he  would  have  cast 
out  a  dead  dog;  he  threw  the  body  into  the  well 
at  the  end  of  the  porch,  and  returned  to  ths 
room. 

Amanda  recovered  consciousness    during   the 


FLOATING   FANCIES.  147 

struggle  between  the  two  men,  but  she  was  with 
out  power  either  of  speech  or  motion;  horror 
held  her  dumb,  her  brain  only  held  life.  She 
tried  to  cvy  out  but  could  not,  she  was  like  one 
in  a  trance,  even  when  John  lifted  her  in  his 
arms,  and  cast  her  from  him,  she  had  little  sense 
of  the  horror  of  her  situation ;  something  caught 
her,  and  with  a  sudden  jerk,  she  felt  herself 
susj  ended.  She  had  no  idea  of  what  held  her, 
or  what  would  become  of  her  should  the  fabric 
give  way.  Instinctively  she  threw  up  her  arm 
as  her  head  came  in  contact  with  a  timber,  and 
for  a  few  seconds  she  hung  there  without  con 
sciousness  enough  to  make  an  effort. 

Then  a  sudden  terror  of  the  unknown  shook 
her,  and  she  made  an  effort  to  raise  herself;  it 
was  well  for  her  that  she  could  not  see  the  dizzy 
depth  beneath  her,  in  such  situations  fear  is  our 
•worst  enemy.  She  cautiously  raised  herself  by 
a  board  above  her  head,  until  she  could  loosen 
her  sleeve  from  a  large  hook,  upon  which  it  had 
caught;  she  then  easily  raised  herself  until  she 
could  climb  over  the  low  curb,  and  stood  upon 
the  ground  outside;  here  she  sank  down,  weak 
and  trembling  for  a  few  minutes.  Then,  though 
a  chill  fear  assailed  her,  she  determined  to  go 
into  the  house;  she  wondered  where  her  brother 
was,  that  he  did  not  come  to  her  rescue ;  but  she 
must  go  in!  John,  her  John,  would  surely  not 
harm  her  knowingly;  she  dragged  herself  along 
wearily,  holding  on  to  the  side  of  the  house  for 
support;  she  felt  so  sick  and  tired. 

She  looked  in  through  one  of  the  long  win 
dows,  the  candle  had  been  extinguished  long 


148  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

since  by  a  draught  of  wind,  the  fire  had  burned 
low,  and  only  an  occasional  fitful  blaze  leaped 
up,  and  lighted  the  room  intermittently ;  in  one 
of  the  flashes  she  saw  John  lying  in  the  middle 
of  the  floor. 

"Poor  fellow,  he  is  sorry  now  that  he  gave 
way  to  his  quick  temper,  and  he  is  lying  there 
grieving.  I  wonder  where  Brother  Ernest  is?" 

She  pulled  herself  slowly  into  the  room;  the 
wall  clock  ticked  loudly,  its  long  pendulum 
seeming  to  take  a  preternatural  sweep ;  as  she 
neared  the  recumbent  figure  the  fire  crackled 
ominously,  and  the  blaze  flared  up  redly,  like 
blood;  she  shivered  as  she  bent  over  the  recum 
bent  figure.  A  brand  fell  to  the  earth,  a  bright 
flame  shot  up  lighting  all  the  room,  and  the 
pallid  face  of  the  dead  man.  The  horror  and 
desolation  of  all  things  smote  her  with  sudden 
madness. 

Months  afterward  she  wandered  into  her  old 
home;  it  was  in  dead  of  winter,  she  was  half 
naked,  white  haired,  wan,  and  emaciated;  her 
father  and  mother  remembered  nothing,  save 
that  she  was  their  child.  For  weeks  she  lay  on 
the  bed,  white  and  silent,  or  sat  in  an  easy-chair 
beside  a  sunny  window,  prupped  up  with  pil 
lows,  but  when  her  baby  girl  was  laid  in  her 
arms  she  looked  at  it  with  the  light  of  love  and 
reason  in  her  sad  eyes;  but  the  same  silence 
which  had  characterized  her  lunacy,  remained 
in  her  sanity.  Of  what  use  to  explain  to  them 
those  awful  incidents;  they  did  not  believe  that 
she  was  John  Hilyer's  wife — why  should  she 
make  further  explanation  to  be  disbelieved? 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  149 

She  was  either  morbidly  -wrong,  or — still  a  little 
unbalanced  by  all  that  she  had  endured. 

She  named  her  babe  Maida  Hilyer,  but  all 
persisted  in  calling  the  child  Cosgrove. 

"The  name  doesn't  matter, "  she  said  sadly; 
but  later  when  she  saw  her  supposed  sin  visited 
upon  the  innocent  child  she  cried  aloud  to  the 
All  Merciful  to  right  her  wrong. 

The  ways  of  the  All  Wise  are  not  our  ways, 
very  fortunately,  or  things  would  be  greatly 
muddled.  The  old  father  and  mother  died,  but 
Amanda  and  her  child  remained  at  the  farm. 

Maida  was  eighteen,  a  gentle,  rarely  thought 
ful  girl;  her  mother's  sorrow  seemed  to  have  left 
its  impress  on  her  character  and  mind ;  she 
early  showed  a  decided  artistic  talent,  which  her 
mother  took  pains  to  cultivate;  all  went  well 
until  Maida  gained  recognition;  then  that 
jealousy  which  ever  seems  to  lie  in  wait  for  un- 
propitious  circumstances,  seized  upon  the  name 
she  bore  to  taunt  her. 

Poor  Maida!  She  threw  herself  into  her 
mother's  arms,  ready  to  give  up  her  chosen  pro 
fession.  Her  mother  said  sadly:  "Be  brave,  my 
child!  I  know  that  some  day  the  truth  will  come 
to  light!" 

Maida  thought  continually  of  her  mother's 
words,  and  with  all  her  soul  sought  to  reach  the 
one  who  she  felt  was  destined  to  help  right  the 
grievous  wrong;  but  she  continued  her  work  as 
sweetly  and  firmly  as  though  no  wound  was 
there. 

One  night  her  mother  dreamer]  of  the  old 
house,  it  looked  as  it  did  the  night  of  the 


150  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

tragedy ;  she  saw  a  strange  form  there,  and  she 
reached  out  her  hands  supplicatingly,  beseech 
ing  his  help;  to  her  spiritual  sense  it  was  made 
manifest  that  her  wish  should  be  accomplished; 
she  told  this  to  Maida,  and  the  two  talked  of  the 
little  else,  and  thought  of  it  without  cessation, 
until  night  after  night  in  her  dreams  Maida 
stood  by  that  stranger's  form,  urging  him  to 
clear  up  the  mystery. 

The  will  inclosed  with  the  certificate  gave  all 
of  his  property  to  his  "beloved  wife,  Amanda 
Cosgrove  Hilyer. " 

There  was  no  more  cause  to  taunt  Maida,  and 
there  was  no  opposition  to  Amanda's  taking  pos 
session  of  the  property,  which  necessitated  a 
visit  to  the  place.  Amanda  walked  silently 
about:  "Poor  John!  Poor  John!"  she  said 
pathetically;  they  looked  shudderingly  down 
into  the  depths  of  the  old  well,  and  as  though 
some  occult  influence  prompted  her,  Amanda 
said,  "I  wonder  what  became  of  brother  Ernest. 
No  one  ever  saw  him  after  that  time;  I  wish  that 
I  knew!" 

Philip  thought  it  far  better  that  she  did  not 
know,  therefore  he  kept  silence. 

The  hook  upon  which  Amanda  had  caught  was 
still  firmly  imbedded  in  the  beam ;  in  the  elder 
Mrs.  Hilyer's  day  it  had  been  used  to  suspend 
butter  and  cream  into  the  cool  depths  below. 

Philip  showed  them  the  secret  panel,  and  in 
doing  so  discovered  another  secret  for  himself; 
the  lower  portion  of  the  panel  formed  a  drawer; 
as  long  as  the  drawer  remained  open,  the  mouth 
of  the  dog  would  not  close,  but  as  the  drawer 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  151 

was  shut,  the  mouth  came  together  with  a  vicious 
snap,  as  though  the  thing  were  possessed  of  life. 
This  drawer  contained  all  of  John  Hilyer's 
papers,  and  a  large  sum  of  money ;  and  here  also 
they  found  the  story  of  the  lonely  heart  life  of  a 
man  of  strong  feeling,  and  untaught,  ungov- 
erned  passions;  a  sad  record  of  a  noble  soul 
gone  astray. 

Phil  and  his  wife  Maida  are  very  happy, 
and  with  the  gentle,  white-haired  mother,  they 
live  in  the  pleasant  cottage  where  Phil  in  his 
concentration  first  saw  them. 


FLOATING  FANCIES. 


A  NINETEENTH  CENTUKY    GHOST. 

MY  health  had  failed  at  last  through  constant 
work,  long  hours,  insufficient  and  irregular  diet, 
and  my  nerves  paid  the  penalty  for  thus  trans 
gressing  nature's  laws.  Every  sin  brings  its 
own  punishment,  whether  it  be  mental,  moral, 
or  phj'sical ;  it  may  be  that  payment  is  not  ex 
acted  to  day,  or  to-morrow,  but  sooner  or  later 
the  penalty  will  surely  follow  the  sin. 

I  was  in  fact  mentally,  as  well  as  bodily  ex 
hausted;  I  had  reached  the  very  depths  of  dis 
gust;  nothing  seemed  worth  doing,  everything 
was  useless;  work  was  worse  than  useless,  a 
foolishness;  pleasore — nothing  was  a  pleasure. 
Like  one  of  old  I  cried  out:  "All  is  vanity  and 
vexation  of  spirit." 

I  went  into  the  country;  not  to  a  distant  rail 
way  station,  to  become  one  of  a  dissatisfied  mob 
at  a  crowded  summer  hotel,  but  into  the  very 
heart  of  the  green  hills,  where  the  limpid  streams 
gurgled  for  very  joy,  as  they  frolicked  on  their 
way  to  the  distant  river;  where  the  woods  were 
BO  dense  that  the  sun  could  only  play  hide  and 
seek  with  the  softly  fluttering  leaves,  once  in  a 
while  touching  the  soft  mossy  carpet,  or  the 
glossy  leaves  of  the  scarlet  checkerberries 
lovingly. 

Here  I  found  the  dearest,  quaintest  old  houses 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  153 

with  pointed  gables  under  which  the  noisy  swal 
lows  built  their  nests  of  mud — a  house  with 
small,  many-paned  windows,  and  great,  yawning 
fireplaces. 

The  simple-hearted  old  people  who  owned  the 
place  welcomed  me  with  unaffected  curiosity. 

I  dawdled  in  the  evenings  in  the  sitting  room 
with  grandpa  and  grandma  Yoeir.an,  with  no 
light  save  the  flickering  blaze  of  the  hickory 
logs;  idly  watching  the  pictures  in  the  glowing 
coals,  and  dreaming  strange  sweet  dreams,  which 
ever  held  a  reflection  of  entrancing  sadness. 

The  fitful  blaze  cast  strange  lights  and  shad 
ows  on  the  low  ceiling;  glinting  on  grandma's 
busy  knitting  needles;  brightening  and  fading 
like  an  uncertain  life. 

Occasional!}'  one  of  the  neighbors  came  in  to 
exchange  news  about  the  planting;  to  borrow  or 
"swap"  garden  seeds;  to  speculate  on  the 
weather;  the  greater  reason  being  to  see  the  city 
boarder. 

Sometimes  their  frank  inquisitiveness  amused, 
at  other  times  it  annoyed  me. 

I  had  been  there  a  month ;  the  weather  had 
grown  too  warm  to  permit  a  fire  in  the  evening, 
and  the  sitting  room  looked  dismal  with  its  one 
small  kerosene  lamp,  around  which  the  moths 
fluttered,  and  singed  their  foolish  wings,  nearly 
obscuring  the  light. 

"Drat  the  things,"  said  grandma,  from  time 
to  time. 

Heavy  clouds  lay  low  in  the  west,  and  the 
occasional  low  growling  of  thunder  indicated  the 


154  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

coming  of  a  storm ;  the  breeze  scarcely  lifted 
the  muslin  curtain  at  the  window. 

A  rush  of  homesickness  came  over  me ;  the 
gloom  depressed  me,  and  left  me  wretched;  the 
sultry  atmosphere  seemed  unbearable;  the  quaint, 
low-ceiled  rooms  seemed  suffocating,  and  detesta 
bly  ugly,  and  I  wondered  that  I  could  have 
thought  them  so  charming. 

I  hurried  away  to  my  room,  which  was  at  the 
further  end  of  the  house,  to  hide  my  tears.  The 
long,  draughty  hall  seemed  tilled  with  lurking 
shadows;  I  thought  it  endless,  and  was  sure  that 
the  doors  were  opening  on  either  side  as  I 
passed.  I  dashed  open  the  door  of  my  own 
room,  and  for  a  few  breathless  minutes  crouched 
in  the  corner  most  thoroughly  frightened.  Pres 
ently,  ashamed  of  my  childish  terror,  I  arose  and 
lighted  my  lamp. 

I  could  not  shake  off  the  frightened  feeling; 
the  dim.  uncertain  light  of  the  small  lamp  left 
the  corners  of  the  room  in  wavering  gloom;  the 
gathering  clouds  sent  out  their  advance  signals 
• — a  fitful  gust  of  moist  wind — now  and  then, 
which  suddenly  flapped  the  curtain  at  the  win 
dow  as  though  shaken  by  an  angry  hand,  and 
swayed  the  old  fashioned  valance  to  the  bed 
until  I  felt  ready  to  scream. 

I  closed  the  blinds,  turned  the  blaze  of  the 
lamp  still  higher,  endeavoring  to  make  the  room 
look  cheerful.  Ah,  well!  The  cheerfulness 
oftener  comes  from  within  than  without,  and  I 
was  nervously  depressed  and  homesick. 

I  was  in  that  restless  mood  in  which  every 
thing  is  irksome.  I  wished  to  write,  I  could 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  155 

not;  a  thousand  elusive  fancies  floated  by  me 
like  thistledown;  my  mind  reached  out  to  grasp 
them — a  tantalizing  caprice  of  the  brain,  a  feel 
ing  of  mental  inadequacy — and  they  were  gone 
into  the  realm  of  the  goblin,  Incompetent. 

I  threw  down  the  pen  :  "What  a  strange  thing 
the  brain  is!  At  times  docile  and  obedient; 
again,  willful,  elusive,  exasperating;  a  thing 
over  which  one  has  no  control,"  I  cried  angrily. 

I  walked  restlessly  up  and  down  the  room 
until  I  was  fatigued,  and  impatiently  threw  my 
self  into  a  great  armchair;  taking  up  an  unfin 
ished  book  I  tried  to  read,  I  turned  a  page  or 
two  without  comprehending  a  thought;  I  threw 
the  book  to  the  furthest  corner  of  the  room  in 
anger  and  disgust. 

Again  I  walked  the  floor  impatiently,  and 
in  the  same  wretched  mood,  undressed  and  went 
to  bed,  where  I  vainly  endeavored  to  sleep. 

The  clouds,  which  had  been  gathering  since 
dusk,  now  marshalled  their  forces  for  battle;  the 
vivid  lightning  played  about  the  room  in  wildly 
fantastic  manner;  a  momentary  white  glare, 
then  the  darkness  of  Inferno.  The  heavy  thun 
der  growled  an  accompaniment,  or  broke  into  a 
sharp  crash,  dying  away  like  the  angry  growl  of 
the  discomfited  storm  fiend. 

The  wind  arose,  and  swung  the  rickety  shut 
ters  to  and  fro  throughout  the  whole  house  with 
many  an  angry  crash ;  the  dead  branches  of  an 
old  tree — standing  by  the  corner  window — 
tapped  on  the  shaking  pane  with  ghostly  fingers. 

I  had  extinguished  my  light,  the  flame  an 
noyed  me;  and  now — from  being  nervous — I  be- 


156  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

came  hysterical.  Several  times,  as  a  vivid  glow 
illumined  the  room,  followed  by  an  awful  crash, 
I  screamed  outright;  it  disturbed  no  one; 
grandma  and  grandpa  Yoeman  slept  in  the  far 
end  of  the  house.  I  became  so  frightened  that  I 
pulled  the  covers  over  my  head  and  lay  there 
shivering. 

The  electrical  storm  had  somewhat  subsided, 
but  the  wind  was  blowing  shrilly,  and  the  rain 
coming  down  in  sheets. 

Some  impulse  compelled  me  to  uncover  my 
head;  a  nervous  sensation  that  something  or 
some  one  was  in  the  room — a  terror  of  the  un 
seen.  I  drew  down  the  bedclothes,  arose  on 
one  elbow,  and  gave  a  horrified  scream,  which 
died  away  in  an  awful  constriction  of  the  throat. 

A  figure  floated  before  my  affrighted  eyes; 
now  coming  toward  me  a  pace,  then  receding; 
disappearing  only  to  return  again.  It  seemed  to 
float  iu  the  air  with  a  strange  undulating  motion. 
I  could  not  turn  my  eyes  away,  although  filled 
with  a  mortal  terror.  It  stood  out  like  a  pic 
ture,  clear  and  distinct,  as  though  the  body  were 
filled  with  luminous  light;  the  turn  of  the  head, 
the  glint  of  the  hair,  suggestive  of  one  whom  I 
had  known  and  hated  in  the  past — which  it  still 
drove  me  mad  to  remember — as  I  perceived  the 
likeness,  or  as  it  seemed,  the  reality,  all  fear  left 
me ;  instantly  my  soul  was  filled  with  wrath ;  all 
the  old  agony  came  over  me  like  an  overwhelm 
ing  flood;  I  seemed  to  feel  again  all  the  pangs 
caused  by  the  treachery  and  deceit  of  that  false 
friend.  I  started  up  with  a  bitter  cry,  and 
rushed  at  the  hated  face  to  rend  it. 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  157 

My  hands  clutched  but  empty  air!  The  vision 
was  as  elusive  as  had  been  my  thoughts;  I  could 
grasp  neither. 

I  crept  back  into  bed  bathed  in  a  cold  per 
spiration,  and  such  was  my  mental  and  bodily 
exhaustion  that  I  sank  into  a  stupor  and  knew 
no  more  until  morning. 

When  I  awoke  the  sun  was  shining  brightly, 
and  as  I  jumped  out  of  bed  and  threw  open  the 
blinds  my  fears  of  the  past  night  seemed  like  an 
absurd  dream. 

The  face  of  nature  looked  so  refreshed  after 
her  bath;  the  gentle  breeze  shook  the  blossom 
ing  lilacs,  to  which  the  raindrops  still  clung  like 
countless  jewels;  their  odor  came  deliciously 
wafted  to  me  as  I  leaned  from  the  open  windows; 
the  grass  glittered  with  clinging  moisture  among 
its  tender  green ;  a  bluebird  swung  on  the 
branch  of  a  gnarled  old  apple  tree  just  burst 
ing  into  bloom  and  let  out  a  flood  of  glorious 
song;  a  meadow  lark,  sitting  on  the  single  post 
which  roso  above  its  fellows,  accepted  the  chal 
lenge  and  sang  with  all  his  might:  "Sweet, 
sweet,  sweet;  John  G.  Yvhittier!"  again  and 
again. 

Fear  seemed  most  absurd  with  all  this  wealth 
of  sunshine  and  springing  vegetation  around  me; 
but  grandma  Yoemau  said  to  me  as  I  entered  the 
kitchen  for  breakfast,  "You  look  awfully  peaked, 
Miss  Eda;  was  you  so  'fraid  of  the  storm  that 
you  didn't  sleep  well?" 

"Oh,  I'm  all  right,  grandma!"  Nevertheless, 
I  could  not  eat  my  breafast  of  hot  biscuit,  golden 
honey,  ham  and  eggs;  although  I  made  a  pre- 


158  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

tense  of  enjoying  the  food,  as  I  knew  that 
grandma  tried  very  hard  to  please  me. 

When  night  came  my  nerves  again  asserted 
themselves;  every  sound  made  me  start  appre 
hensively.  My  window  was  wide  open ;  the 
great  old  lilac  bushes  seemed  to  lean  caressingly 
in,  their  odor  borne  to  me  on  the  soft,  warm 
wind,  as  it  playfully  lifted  the  thin  curtain. 

All  was  so  balmy,  quiet  and  sweet  that  after 
a  time  it  soothed  my  excited  nerves,  and  I  slept 
soundly  until  morning. 

Thus  it  continued  for  two  weeks,  until  I  began 
to  think  that  I  must  have  been  dreaming.  I 
saw  nothing,  I  heard  nothing  more  alarming 
than  the  rats,  which  scurried  up  and  down  be 
tween  the  plastering  and  the  clapboards,  or 
gnawed  industriously  at  the  narrow  base. 

I  had  been  roaming  over  the  fields  all  day;  I 
had  climbed  from  rock  to  rock  down  the  shallow 
creek  as  happy  as  a  child ;  I  had  lain  on  the  last 
year's  leaves,  and  plaited  a  crown  of  checker- 
berries,  the  glossy  green  of  the  leaf,  and  the  bril 
liant  red  of  the  berries  forming  a  lovely  contrast. 
I  gathered  also  a  great  bunch  of  wild  forget- 
me-nots;  it  was  sunset  when  I  reached  home;  I 
placed  the  flowers  on  the  little  stand  in  front  of 
the  mirror,  and  hung  the  wreath  above  it,  so 
that  the  mirror  reflected  it  like  a  duplicate. 

I  retired  early,  and  immediately  dropped  to 
sleep.  Some  time  during  the  night  I  was  awak 
ened — it  might  have  been  a  shutter  that 
slammed,  or  a  door  in  one  of  the  empty  rooms — 
in  my  half-awakened  state  it  sounded  like  a  pis 
tol  shot.  As  I  started  up  in  bed  I  became  con- 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  159 

Bcious  of  an  unusual  commotion ;  the  trees  were 
swaying  and  creaking;  the  lilacs  bent  and  shiv 
ered;  my  curtains  were  swept  straight  out  into 
the  room,  and  as  I  looked  with  startled  eyes  the 
luminous  figure  once  more  stood  before  me, 
fearfully  distinct;  the  bouquet  of  forget-me-nots 
I  had  gathered  held  in  her  hand;  the  crown  of 
leaves  and  berries  resting  on  her  head;  even  in 
nay  awful  fright  I  observed  that  it  waa  tipped 
coquetishly  over  the  right  side  of  the  head,  in 
stead  of  being  set  demurely  on  top.  She  seemed 
to  advance  and  recede,  waving  the  flowers  at  me 
derisively ;  again  the  resemblance  to  that  woman 
whom  my  soul  loathed  struck  me  with  a  sickening 
sense  of  pain  and  hatred. 

I  had  often  listened  to  my  old  grandmother  as 
she  told  tales  of  supernatural  visitations  and 
mysterious  warnings;  of  the  death  watch  in  the 
wall,  and  that  immediately  following  these 
prognostications  some  beloved  one  surely  de 
parted  this  life;  she  related  instances  of  ghostly 
tappings  on  the  headboard,  and  of  a  deadly  chill, 
like  a  cadaverous  finger,  creeping  up  and  down 
the  spine,  to  warn  the  unhappy  recipient  that  a 
stranger  was  treading  on  their  future  grave. 

These  half-forgotten  teachings  recurred  to  me 
with  awful  vividness,  and  I  experienced  the  same 
sensations  which  drove  me,  at  that  time,  shivering 
to  my  bed  to  lie  with  sleepless  eyes  listening  for 
the  dread  signal.  I  felt  sure  that  this  "presence" 
was  a  warning  that  my  death  was  near,  and  that 
,s/ie  brought  the  message,  was  an  added  menace 
— unless  I  forgave  her.  I  had  never  known  hate 
of  any  other  being  in  my  life;  I  had  said  egotis- 


160  FLOATING   FANCIES. 

tically  that  it  "was  not  in  my  nature  to  hate. 
Circumstances  show  us  that  we  have  a  very 
limited  acquaintance  with  our  capabilities  and 
proclivities;  I  learned  that  lesson  through  fiery 
tribulation.  Another  thing  which  I  had  been 
taught  as  a  child  now  recurred  to  my  mind  as  a 
torment.  I  had  been  taught  that  I  must  forgive, 
if  I  would  be  forgiven,  and  that  I  must  love  iny 
enemy. 

How  could  I  forgive  her?  Though  death,  or 
that  punishment  which  I  had  been  taught  would 
come  after  death,  should  stare  me  in  the  face,  I 
could  not  forgive  the  deliberate  wrecking  of  my 
life's  happiness. 

The  vision  disappeared  while  these  tormenting 
thoughts  raced  each  other  through  my  mind; 
as  suddenly  returning,  it  advanced  menacingly 
toward  the  bed. 

A  fresh  blast  of  wind  shook  the  old  house  from 
garret  to  foundation;  doors  crashed,  blinds  rat 
tled  and  shook;  trees  swayed  and  groaned  dis 
mally  ;  the  low  of  the  frightened  cattle  was  borne 
on  the  wings  of  the  blast;  a  dog  howled  dis 
mally  from  out  the  darkness.  I  could  look  no 
more;  I  covered  my  head  and  shivered  with 
mortal  terror.  The  following  morning  I  was 
unable  to  rise;  there  was  no  questioning  in  my 
mind.  I  felt  sure  that  I  was  doomed ;  that  the 
warning  was  not  only  of  my  demise,  but  of 
future  punishment  as  well,  unless  I  forgave  the 
bearer  of  that  message.  This  last  thought  con 
tinually  tortured  me.  How  could  I  force  for 
giveness?  I  might  profess  it,  I  might  even  try 
and  cheat  myself  into  thinking  it;  but  the 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  161 

turn  of  a  head,  the  movement  of  a  hand,  the 
tone  of  a  voice,  would  bring  a  never-to-be-for 
gotten  picture  before  my  mind,  which  would 
give  the  lie  to  all  my  pretense.  I  hated  with 
just  cause,  and  should  I  forgive,  would  I  not 
thereby  place  myself  on  a  level  with  that 
creature  of  debasement?  Could  I  stoop  to  such 
forgiveness,  and  retain  my  own  self-respect? 
No!  no!  no!  I  could  pass  by;  I  could  leave 
her  and  her  ways  to  the  inevitable  punishment 
that  must  follow  her  deeds;  I  could  avoid  being 
in  anywise  the  instrument  of  vengeance  in  the 
hand  of  Providence,  though  Providence  walked 
by  my  side  and  whispered  in  my  ear  tempt 
ingly;  but  forgive  her  and  respect  myself  I 
could  not;  by  condoning  the  offense  I  should 
actually  sanction  it. 

Oh,  the  agony  of  that  incessant  thinking! 
Fighting  the  battle  over  and  over  again,  only  to 
cry  out  despairingly:  "I  cannot!  I  cannot!" 
Day  by  day  my  strength  diminished;  night  after 
night  ended  in  horror  and  despair. 

Sometimes  for  a  night  or  two  the  ghostly  pres 
ence  did  not  appear,  then,  as  hope  began  to 
dawn,  it  suddenly  stood  leering  at  me  motion- 
lessly ;  at  other  times  it  undulated,  advanced  and 
receded,  in  maddening  fashion.  I  made  all  nec 
essary  preparations  for  the  end  which  I  felt  must 
be  very  near;  there  were  none  who  would  mourn 
me  greatly;  although  I  had  but  one  enemy,  yet 
I  had  few  friends;  I  could  not  open  my  heart  to 
the  whole  world. 

I  had  lived  as  nearly  right  as  I  knew — nov? 
another  question  added  to  the  torment  of  1113 


162  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

mind ;  was  I  to  be  punished  for  that  which  I  did 
not  know  ?  How  well  I  remembered  the  grim 
old  preacher,  who,  pacing  back  and  forth,  told  us 
Sabbath  after  Sabbath  that  we  were  certain  of 
punishment  because  we  did  not  know,  that  we 
must  repent;  that  all  were  born  in  sin.  I  used 
to  think  how  much  better  it  would  have  been  not 
to  have  been  born  at  all  than  to  have  to  be 
sorry  for  something  you  did  not  know  anything 
about. 

He  looked  so  savage  as  he  pounded  the  pulpit 
that  I  used  to  slip  off  the  seat  and  try  and  hide; 
I  thought  he  was  going  to  help  the  Lord  punish 
us,  and  I  tried  so  hard  to  be  sorry,  although  I 
did  not  know  for  what.  Now  I  was  troubled 
fearing  that  this  was  a  truth;  we  are  so  much 
more  lazy  than  we  wish  to  admit;  we  drift  with 
circumstances,  and  call  it  fate;  we  crouch  down 
and  receive  degrading  blows  because  it  is  so 
much  easier  than  fighting  for  the  right.  Letting 
things  drift  had  ever  been  my  weakness,  I  so  en 
joyed  being  lazily  happy;  now  I  was  tormented 
with  fear  of  the  sins  of  omission. 

All  through  the  day  I  dreaded  the  coming  of 
the  night,  and  the  destested  vision;  thus  day 
brought  me  no  solace  because  of  harassing 
doubts,  and  too  perplexing  questions.  I  had 
irritably  begged  grandma  Yoeman  to  take  the 
hated  wreath  and  flowers  out  of  my  sight,  and 
from  that  day  to  this  their  sweet,  woody  odor 
turns  me  faint  and  sick. 

The  days  lengthened  with  the  fullness  of  sum 
mer,  the  petals  of  the  apple  blossoms  covered  the 
ground  with  their  fragrant  enow,  and  now  the 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  163 

green  globes  hung  from  the  bending  boughs,  and 
the  old-fashioned  garden  was  a  wealth  of  color ; 
still  I  lay  languid  and  helpless,  in  the  low-ceiled 
room — unheeding  the  beauty  outside — as  I  lay 
with  my  face  turned  hopelessly  to  the  wall;  or  if 
perchance  I  looked  out  of  the  open  window,  it 
was  but  to  sigh  despairingly  :  "I  shall  soon  pass 
away  from  all  things  earthly." 

I  had  watched  in  vain  for  the  tormenting  pres 
ence  for  the  past  two  weeks  until  my  mind  was 
in  that  strange  paradoxical  state  in  which  I 
dreaded,  yet  anxiously  awaited  its  appearance. 
I  believed  that  one  more  visit  would  surely  be 
the  last. 

Still  another  week  passed,  a  week  of  dread 
anticipation;  the  day  had  been  so  invigorating 
that  in  spite  of  my  morbid  imaginings,  my  over 
wrought  nerves  loosed  their  tension.  I  had  in 
the  afternoon  sat  by  the  open  window  for  an 
hour  or  two,  drinking  in  the  balm  of  the  atmos 
phere,  and  when  in  the  dusk  I  again  crept  into 
the  bed  I  felt  fatigued,  and  lying  down  was 
restful;  the  fresh,  clean  sheets  smelled  of  laven 
der,  and  the  soft  mattress  seemed  fitted  to  every 
curve  of  my  body.  I  nestled  my  head  in  the 
pillow,  and  with  the  soft  wind  blowing  through 
the  wide-open  window,  at  once  dropped  asleep. 
Once  or  twice  in  the  earlier  part  of  the  night  I 
opened  my  eyes,  drowsily  conscious  that  the 
moon  was  lighting  up  the  room  with  pale  radi 
ance,  also  vaguely  realizing  an  unusual  sense  of 
peace  and  comfort. 

It  must  have  been  very  near  morning  when  I 
awoke  with  a  sinking  sense  of  fright ;  perspira- 


164  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

tion  stood  on  my  brow  cold  as  death  dew;  I 
thought  that  my  hour  of  dissolution  had  come. 
Only  the  faintest  ray  of  moonlight  was  visible, 
as  it  was  disappearing  behind  a  bank  of  clouds 
in  the  west;  the  wind  was  whistling  shrilly 
through  the  trees,  and  into  the  room  through 
the  open  window,  between  which  and  the  bed, 
undulated,  receded,  or  darted  viciously  forward 
the  detestable  specter. 

For  a  single  instant  my  whole  being  sank 
inertly;  I  thought  the  very  elements  in  coalition 
with  my  tormenter;  then  a  sudden  anger,  or 
antagonism — assailed  me.  This  fiend  had 
wrecked  my  material  life,  through  my  having 
been  taught  that  resistance  was  wrong;  that  if 
"thine  enemy  smite  thee  on  one  cheek,  turn  to 
him  also  the  other." 

Should  I  allow  this  old  parody  upon  truth  to 
drive  me  beyond  the  plane  of  material  existence? 

Since  evolution  began — and  who  can  date  its 
commencement? — resistance  has  been  the  law 
governing  the  survival  of  the  fittest;  can  that 
natural  law  be  wrong?  The  fact  that  the 
possessor  of  the  greater  power  of  resistance  sur 
vives  is  practical  demonstration  of  its  justice 
and  right.  I  had  in  the  past  weakly  let  go  of 
home  and  happiness;  now  a  rage  assailed  me  as 
fierce  as  a  devastating  forest  fire;  I  cried  out  as 
I  leaped  from  the  bed,  "I  will  not  succumb!"  I 
rushed  madly  at  the  detested  semblance;  the 
hateful  leer  appeared  to  grow  more  diabolical, 
the  poise  of  the  head  more  insolent,  as  it  evaded 
me.  There  came  a  blast  which  tore  at  the  shut 
ters,  and  dashed  the  old  mirror  with  a  crash  to 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  165 

the  floor;  at  that  instant  the  specter  dashed 
wildly  toward  me,  swung  dizzily  around,  and  it 
seemed  to  my  excited  imagination  that  the  fea 
tures  assumed  an  appalled  look;  a  crash  at  the 
rear  end  of  the  room  caused  me  to  turn  my  head, 
a  thousand  misplaced  stars  seemed  scattered  over 
the  floor,  scintillating  in  the  gloom. 

I  turned  again  to  renew  my  warfare — but  the 
specter  was  nowhere  to  be  seen.  I  stood  bewil 
dered  awaiting  its  return ;  but  it  came  no  more, 
and  with  a  shiver — half  of  fright,  half  of  cold — 
I  closed  the  window  and  crept  into  bed ;  as  I 
pulled  the  blankets  about  me,  and  snuggled 
down  into  the  pillows,  I  felt  a  comforting  sense 
of  having  defeated  my  adversary ;  from  that 
beatific  state  I  fell  to  musing  upon  the  many 
contradictory  teachings  of  this  life,  and  idly 
wondering  which  was  right,  or  if  all  were  in 
error,  and  thus  I  drifted  into  slumber. 

Grandam  Yoeman  was  in  a  state  of  terrible  ex 
citement  the  next  morning  over  the  devastation 
of  the  storm. 

"To  think,  I've  had  that  looking-glass  ever 
since  I  was  married!  I  do  hope  it  won't  bring 
you  any  bad  luck,  Miss  Eda!"  said  she  plain 
tively. 

"Oh,  nonsense,  grandma!  From  this  hour  my 
better  health  and  my  happiness  are  assured, "  I 
replied  gayly.  I  had  such  perfect  confidence  that 
I  should  no  more  be  troubled  by  the  uncanny 
vision  that  it  made  me  very  happy. 

As  I  was  lazily  putting  on  my  clothing,  grand 
ma's  lamentations  broke  out  afresh:  "There's 


166  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

that  picture  that  my  niece  Mandy  painted,  broke 
all  to  bits!" 

"I  wonder  that  I  never  saw  the  picture,"  said 
I,  more  to  comfort  grandma  by  an  interest  in 
her  misfortune  than  for  any  other  reason. 

"Oh,  I  covered  it  up  to  keep  the  dust  from  it; 
it  was  real  purty,  jest  shone  at  night  like  any 
thing,"  she  concluded  regretfully. 

From  that  time  on,  I  danced  about  the  old 
house,  and  dreamed  under  the  gnarled  apple 
trees,  or  among  the  sweet-scented  clover,  as 
happy  as  it  is  possible  to  be — except  for  one 
longing  pain. 

I  seemed  to  see  that  I  might,  and  ought  to  be, 
uplifted,  exalted  above  all  evil ;  thus  gaining  the 
right  from  that  elevation  of  purity,  to  pity  and 
forgive  the  soul  so  warped  as  to  prefer  evil  to 
good.  I  now  understood  that  it  was  like  cross 
ing  a  bridge  spanning  a  foul  stream;  one  might 
shudder  at  the  offensive  sight,  but  no  soil  or 
attaint  could  touch  even  the  outer  garments.  I 
let  the  sweet  air  of  heaven  blow  all  my  bitterness 
away ;  the  birds  and  flowers  spoke  only  of  love 
and  harmony,  and  their  sweet  language  taught 
me  that  I  too  had  sinned,  although  I  had  trans 
gressed  simply  because  I  did  not  understand 
that  I  need  neither  fraternize  nor  hold  aloof, 
but  walk  my  way  in  peace  and  quietude ;  inas 
much  as  it  lies  not  in  the  power  of  any  person 
to  wound  my  feelings,  or  to  injure  me  beyond 
the  material;  that  within  me,  only,  lies  the 
weakness  which  makes  that  possible. 

As  I  sat  watching  the  great,  lumbering  bum 
ble-bees  crawl  in  and  out  of  the  hollyhocks, 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  167 

thinking  what  fortunate  fellows  they  were,  to 
taste  only  the  sweets  of  life,  there  came  a  quiet 
step  behind  me,  and  a  hand  was  laid  upon  my 
shoulder  which  thrilled  me  from  head  to  foot ;  I 
essayed  to  rise,  but  my  traitor  limbs  refused 
their  support;  the  well-remembered  voice 
sounded  afar  off,  but — oh,  so  sweet! 

"I  have  come  to  ask  your  forgiveness,  and  to 
acknowledge  my  wrong ;  little  woman,  will  you 
be  merciful?" 

I  cried  out  sharply:  "But  how  can  I  trust 
you?  You  promised  before,  and  deceived  me 
so  bitterly!"  the  pent-up  agony  vibrating 
through  my  voice. 

Very  gently  he  answered  me:  "I  acknowledge 
that  I  did ;  but  give  me  one  more  trial — a  chance 
to  prove  my  better  self  to  you — you  shall  never 
regret  it.  Oh,  Eda!  Look  at  this  tree  upon 
which  you  are  sitting;  through  some  mishap  it 
grew  warped  and  unsightly;  but  see!  it  has 
changed  its  course,  and  is  growing  steadily  up 
ward,  bearing  an  abundance  of  wholesome  fruit. 
Can't  you  believe  that  I,  too,  will  mend  my 
course,  and  that  the  fruit  of  my  future  life  will 
be  good?" 

The  earnest,  thrilling  voice  was  as  sweetest 
music  to  my  ear;  my  heart  was  so  hungry,  but — a 
memory — "But,  oh,  that  woman!"  I  cried. 

"My  wife,  let  us  never  again  mention  her! 
At  last  I  see " 

Manlike,  he  wished  no  mention  made  of  his 
wrongdoing — that  he  put  it  behind  him  he  con 
sidered  sufficient.  A  sharp  pain  went  through 
my  heart,  that  all  my  agony  was  to  be  put  aside 


168  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

so  lightly;  but — he  was  my  husband.  I  sat  a 
moment  irresolute,  then  placed  my  hands  in 
his,  and  replied,  "As  you  wish;  but  let  there  be 
no  looking  backward,  let  us  both  live  aright  each 
day,  and  we  shall  not  fail  of  being  happy." 

I  made  instant  resolve  to  put  those  higher  and 
better  thoughts  into  practical  use,  and  I  have 
never  had  cause  to  regret  so  doing.  Neither  the 
ghost  of  my  enemy,  nor  the  wraith  of  a  regret 
have  since  visited  me. 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  1G9 


WHAT  BECAME   OF   THE   MONEY? 

MARJORIE  MELTON  and  Henry  Laselle,  were  an 
ideally  happy  couple;  for  once  the  course  of 
true  love  seemed  to  run  smoothly,  thus  belieing 
the  old  adage.  Marjy  was  the  pet  and  heiress 
of  an  old  aunt  with  whom  she  lived.  Henry 
was  a  young  lawyer,  with  a  fair  amount  of  prac 
tice,  a  good  reputation,  and  every  prospect  of 
success.  Aunt  Hattie — as  she  was  lovingly 
called — lived  as  befitted  her  station,  on  one  of 
the  most  fashionable  avenues. 

One  Monday  evening  Aunt  Hattie  received  a 
large  sum  of  money  from  the  sale  of  property ; 
as  it  was  after  banking  hours  she  locked  it  awajT 
in  a  small  safe  in  her  sitting  room.  Henry  and 
Marjy  sat  by  the  table  reading,  and  commenting 
on  a  work  of  occult  science;  Henry  taking  the 
stand  that  it  was  like  hunting  for  a  half  a  dozen 
pearls  in  a  mountain  of  sand ;  Marjy  defending 
the  theories  with  much  warmth,  as  much  because 
of  their  beauty  as  because  of  their  truth.  Hypno 
tism  was  the  subject  under  discussion,  Henry 
declaring  that  he  considered  the  whole  thing 
"fudge." 

Aunt  Hattie  locked  away  her  money,  and  as 
she  passed  the  table,  she  tossed  a  slip  of  paper 
on  which  was  written  the  combination  of  the 


ItO  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

safe,  «o  Marjy,  saying,  "Put  that  away,  please; 
it  is  a  pity  that  one  must  become  so  forgetful;  I 
have  but  this  instant  locked  that  safe,  yet  I  can 
not  even  now,  remember  the  combination."  Her 
tone  expressed  such  intense  disgust  with  herself 
that  Henry  and  Marjy  laughed  merrily. 

Henry  picked  up  the  slip  of  paper  and  read 
the  numbers  and  letters  aloud :  "I'll  wager  that 
I  could  repeat  that  a  week  from  to-night!" 

"I'll  take  that  bet;  you  have  a  good  memory, 
but  I  think  not  quite  equal  to  that;  however  I'll 
put  this  out  of  your  sight,  so  that  you  cannot 
study  it;"  answered  she  teasingly,  as  she  hid 
the  paper. 

He  left  the  house  an  hour  or  so  later,  and 
nothing  further  was  said  on  the  subject.  After 
he  reached  home  the  letters  and  figures  kopt 
repeating  themselves  over  and  over  in  his  mind, 
until  he  heartily  tired  of  them ;  even  after  he 
retired  they  continued  to  dance  before  his  men 
tal  vision,  until  he  angrily  exclaimed  aloud : 

"Oh,  confound  the  ,  things!  Small  chance  of 
my  forgetting  them!" 

He  had  barely  reached  his  office  the  next 
morning  when  the  telephone  bell  ran  sharply; 
Aunt  Hattie  answered  his,  "Hello!" 

"Hello!  Henry,  is  that  you?" 

"Yes;  what  is  the  trouble?  Anything  wrong 
up  there?" 

"No — that  is — nothing  in  particular.  Say, 
Henry,  did  you  take  that  money  last  night?" 

"Aunt  Hattie!  Why  should  you  think  that  I 
would  take  your  money?"  he  cried  indignantly. 

"I  thought  that  perhaps  you   did  it  to  tease 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  1?1 

me;   can't  you   oome  to  the  house  for  a  few 
minutes?" 

"Certainly,"  he  replied. 

He  had  been  very  busy  all  the  morning,  and 
Lad  not  once  thought  of  the  combination,  but 
no  sooner  was  he  on  his  way  to  the  house  than, 
with  tantalizing  pertinacity,  it  began  repeating 
itself  over,  again  and  again.  Marjy  met  him  at 
the  door,  she  had  evidently  been  weeping;  he 
caught  her  hands:  "Why,  Marjy,  what  is  the 
matter?  Have  you  been  crying  over  the  loss  of 
that  money?"  he  asked  in  astonishment. 

She  raised  her  eyes  to  his  face,  a  troubled 
questioning  in  their  depths,  "Did  you  not  take 
it,  Henry?" 

He  drew  back  in  hurt  surprise :  "What  do  you 
mean,  Marjy  ?  Do  you  think  that  I  would  take 
your  aunt's  money?"  he  asked  indignantly. 

Marjy  burst  into  tears:  "Auntie — Auntie — " 
she  stammered,  and  there  she  stopped,  unable 
to  proceed. 

He  finished  the  sentence  for  her;  "Thinks  me 
a  thief,"  he  said  grimly. 

She  hung  her  head  and  sobbed :  "You — you 
are  the  only  person — beside  auntie  and  me, 
who  knew  the  combination,  you  know!"  she 
paused,  then  continued  desperately,  "You 
remember  that  you  boasted  that  you  could  repeat 
it  a  week  from  that  day " 

"I  should  think  so!  I  haven't  been  able  to 
get  it  out  of  my  mind  for  one  minute  since;  but 
what  has  that  to  do  with  your  aunt's  money?" 

"No  other  person  knew  anything  about  it," 
she  said  naively. 


172  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

"That  explains  your  strange  look  when  you 
hid  the  paper;  you  suspected  that  I  would  steal 
the  money. ' ' 

"Oh,  Henry!  I  had  no  thought  of  such  a 
thing!" 

"Perhaps  not,  but  you  looked  it!"  he  replied 
hotly. 

She  drew  herself  up  angrily:  "I  tell  you  that 
there  was  no  such  thought  in  rny  mind;  it  must 
have  had  birth  in  your  own  consciousness;  you 
remember  the  old  adage  about  'fleeing  when  no 
man  pursueth.''  She  tossed  her  pretty  head 
high  in  the  air,  and  walked  into  the  sitting 
room ;  he  followed  sullenly  behind. 

Here  everything  was  in  disorder;  chairs  were 
thrown  about;  books  lay  all  over  the  floor  with 
their  leaves  fluttered  open ;  window  drapings 
were  shaken  out  of  their  usual  prira  folds;  the 
piano  cover  lay  in  the  middle  of  the  room;  and 
at  the  instant  of  their  entrance  Aunt  Hattie  was 
on  her  knees  tearing  frantically  at  the  edge  of 
the  carpet.  She  turned  a  red  and  disheveled 
countenance  toward  them. 

"Come  and  help  me  with  this,"  said  she 
shortly. 

"For  what  are  you  tearing  up  the  carpet?" 
asked  Marjy. 

Auntie  stopped  her  work,  and  dropped  on  to 
her  knees  staring  blankly.  "Looking  for  the 
money,  ninny!"  she  ejaculated  in  a  tone  of  in 
tense  disgust. 

"But  Auntie,  you  put  it  in  the  safe!" 

She  looked  bewildered  for  a  moment,  then  said 
fatuously,  "Did  I?  I  thought  perhaps  I  hid  it 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  173 

under  the  carpet.  Oh,  yes;  I  remember! 
Henry  had  the  combination;  there  wasn't  any 
one  knew  it  except  you  two,"  she  finished 
angrily. 

Marjy  turned  a  reproachful  glance  on  Henry, 
who  stood  looking  angrily  at  auntie;  she  re 
turned  an  equally  angry  gaze. 

"I  do  not  think  it  kind  of  you  to  play  such 
tricks  upon  me;  give  me  back  the  money,  and 
have  done  with  such  foolishness!"  said  she. 

"Do  you  really  think  that  I  took  your  money  ?" 
he  questioned  hotly. 

"Of  course!  There  was  no  one  else  knew  the 
combination  but  you " 

"Oh,  confound  that  combination!  I've  heard 
it  until  I'm  sick  of  it!  Your  niece  knew  it  as 
well  as  I — why  not  suspect  her?  She  was  in  the 
house,  I  was  not!" 

"Yes,  that's  so!  Marjy  did  you  take  it?" 
fatuously. 

Marjy  gave  Henry  a  withering  look:  "What 
nonsense!"  she  cried. 

"Well,  some  one  took  it!"  gloomily  iterated 
auntie,  as  she  continued  to  lift  up  books,  and 
flatter  open  papers. 

"You  had  best  have  a  detective  look  into  the 
matter,"  said  Marjy  coldly. 

"Oh,  not  for  the  world!  I  wouldn't  be  so 
disgraced!"  cried  auntie  excitedly. 

"I  do  not  see  how  you  are  to  ascertain  the 
truth  otherwise,"  remarked  Henry. 

"Oh,  dear!  I  wouldn't  care  so  much  for  the 
money — though  it's  too  much  to  loose — but  to 
have  to  suspect  those  in  whom  we  have  placed  so 


174  FLOATING    FANCIES. 

much  confidence,  and  one's  very  own,  is  awful!" 
wailed  Aunt  Hattie,  not  very  lucidly. 

Henry  frowned  angrily,  then  Marjy  shot  him 
a  disdainful  glance,  and  Aunt  Hattie  glared  re 
proachfully  at  both. 

Henry  turned  abruptly,  lifting  his  hat  in  a 
sudden  access  of  politeness;  "I  bid  you  a  very 
good  day;  if  you  wish  to  arrest  me,  you  will 
find  me  in  my  room,  two  doors  away ;  or  in  my 
office  on  Tremont  Street,"  saying  which  he 
strode  angrily  away. 

Marjy  ran  up  to  her  room  and  locked  herself 
in,  despite  her  aunt's  shrill  cry:  "Come  here, 
Marjy,  and  help  me  to  look  for  that  money !  Oh, 
I  must  find  it,  it  cannot  be  lost!" 

Notwithstanding  her  asservation,  it  did 
seem  to  be  lost.  She  one  moment  declared  that 
she  was  positive  that  she  had  locked  it  in  the 
safe — and  scolded  and  reproached  Marjy — then, 
she  railed  about  Henry,  and  how  impossible  it 
was  to  trust  any  one ;  taking  another  turn,  she 
doubted  herself;  she  did  not  know  whether  or 
not  she  put  it  in  the  safe  at  all.  "It  might 
be  that  I  took  it  out  after  I  put  it  there,  and 
thought  it  more  secure  in  some  other  place ;  but 
of  course  I  never  once  thought  that  Henry  would 
rob  me,  and  he  pretended  to  love  you,"  she 
would  grumble.  Then  she  would  fall  to  tearing 
things  to  pieces  again. 

Whenever  her  aunt  accused  her,  Marjy  only 
cried  out  impatiently:  "Oh,  nonsense,  auntie! 
What  would  I  do  with  it?" 

"I  do  not  know,  I  am  sure!"  weakly. 

But  when  she  assailed  Henry,  then  Marjy  flew 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  175 

into  a  tempest  of  passion.  "You  know  that  he 
could  uot  have  touched  it;  we  were  all  in  the 
room  together  until  he  left,  and  I  went  to  the 
front  door,  and  closed  and  locked  it  after  him ; 
he  lives  two  doors  away,  he  couldn't  very  well 
come  through  the  walls,"  indignantly. 

"That's  so!  You  must  have  taken  it,  then!" 
hysterically. 

"Much  more  likely  that  you  have  hidden  it 
away  yourself.  Oh,  dear !  My  life  is  ruined  on 
account  of  that  miserable  money!  Henry 
scarcely  speaks  to  me,  and  says  that  he  will 
never  step  inside  the  house  again!" 

"I  do  not  see  why  you  should  mourn  over  a 
thief!"  answered  Aunt  Hattie. 

"He  isn't  a  thief.  I  would  as  soon  think  that 
you  took  it  yourself,"  she  cried  wrathfully. 

Aunt  Hattie  grew  pale  with  anger:  "Take  care 
what  you  say,  miss,"  she  retorted  with  quiver 
ing  lips. 

The  whole  household  arrangement,  mind, 
morals  and  manners,  seemed  demoralized. 
Never  before  had  an  ill-natured  word  been 
spoken  between  auntie  and  Marjy.  Auntie  had 
been  like  the  placid  autumn  day,  Marjy  like  the 
blithe  spring  sunshine.  Now  everything  was 
like  a  draught  of  bitter  water.  Henry  went 
about  his  work  listlessly. 

The  days  dragged  along  tiresomely,  Marjy 
and  Henry  met  occasionally,  and  although  no 
word  was  spoken,  by  tacit  consent  the  engage 
ment  was  ended.  Marjy  went  nowhere  and 
would  receive  no  company.  Gossips  commented 
— there  must  be  something  wrong;  a  bird  of  the 


176  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

air  whispered — there  always  is  a  telltale  bird — 
that  Henry  was  a  defaulter;  then,  rumor  had  it, 
a  common  thief.  A  kind  friend?  told  him  the 
report — there  is  also  always  the  kind  friend — he 
was  raging.  He  declared  that  he  would  leave 
the  place,  that  he  would  not  stay  here  in  dis 
grace  ;  he  surely  thought  that  Marjy  or  her  aunt 
had  circulated  the  report,  and  he  was  furious 
over  it. 

A  little  reflection  caused  him  to  change  his 
mind  about  leaving:  "I  have  done  no  wrong, 
and  I  will  not  run!  If  they  think  to  drive  me 
away  by  that  scheme,  they  will  get  left,  that's 
all!"  said  he  grimly.  Meanwhile  some  one  told 
Marjy  that  she  heard  that  "Henry  and  Marjy 
had  stolen  money  from  her  auntie,  and  had  in 
tended  to  elope ;  that  Auntie  Nelson  had  caught 
them  before  they  could  get  out  of  the  street 
door;  she  took  the  money  from  Henry,  and  for 
bid  him  the  house.  It  isn't  true  is  it,  dear?" 
concluded  she. 

Marjy  astonished  the  gossip  by  such  an  out 
burst  of  temper  as  frightened  her  out  of  the 
house,  after  which  she  locked  herself  in  her  own 
chamber,  to  sob  and  cry  for  the  rest  of  the  day. 
Everything  was  as  miserable  as  it  was  possible 
to  be;  Marjy  would  go  out  no  more  in  daylight, 
but  after  nightfall,  with  a  heavy  veil  over  her 
face,  she  would  steal  out  for  a  walk  as  though 
she  were  some  guilty  thing. 

One  night  as  she  passed  Henry's  room  she 
paused  and  looked  up  at  the  window;  he  sat  be 
side  a  small  table  on  which  was  placed  a  lamp, 
hie  head  bowed  upon  his  arms  in  an  attitude  of 


FLOATING   FANCIES.  177 

despair ;  he  raised  his  face,  the  change  and 
melancholy  look  filled  Marjy's  heart  with  grief. 
He  arose  wearily  and  began  pacing  to  and  fro. 
Marjy  dropped  her  face  in  her  hands  and  sobbed 
bitterly ;  the  moon,  which  had  been  under  a 
cloud,  came  out  a  flood  of  silver  radiance  ;  Marjy 
leaning  against  a  low  railing  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  street,  was,  unconsciously  to  herself,  in  the 
full  glow. 

"  Marjy  !  Marjy  ! "  called  a  voice  softly. 

She  started  in  affright ;  but  Henry  caught  her 
hands,  and  held  them  fast. 

"  Marjy,  Marjy,  my  pet,  don't  cry  !  " 

She  made  him  no  answer,  but  sobbed  hysteri 
cally  in  his  arms. 

"What  is  it,  Marjy,  is  there  more  trouble?" 
he  asked,  feeling — as  most  men  do  in  the  pres 
ence  of  a  woman's  tears — perfectly  helpless. 

"No!  no!  There  doesn't  need  be  more 
trouble  !  There  isn't  any  happiness  left ;  auntie 
is  so  cross  and  suspicious — she  suspects  you,  me, 
and  even  herself ;  for  whole  days  at  a  time  she 
doesn't  speak,  and  if  I  take  a  book  to  read  she 
looks  at  me  as  reproachfully  as  though  I  were 
doing  some  wrong  thing  ;  if  I  look  sad  she  says — 
she  says — I  am  mourning  over  a  thief,  and  that 
makes  me  mad,  because  I  know  it  isn't  true  !  " 
she  finished  excitedly. 

"God  bles-;  you,  Marjy  !  That  is  the  first  bit 
of  comfort  I  have  received  since  that  miserable 
night,"  he  answered. 

"How  could  you  imagine  that  I  would  think 
you  guilty  of  such  a  thing?  "  reproachfully. 


178  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

"How  happens  it  that  you  are  out  so  late  at 
night?"  he  asked  irrelevantly. 

"I  cannot  go  out  in  daytime,  people  say  such 
awful  things  about  us  that  it  makes  me 
ashamed;"  sobbing  hysterically.  When  I  saw 
you  looking  so  despondent  it  just  broke  my 
heart." 

"Oh,  my  dear,  don't  cry!"  helplessly. 

She  smiled  at  him  through  her  tears:  "Well, 
I  will  not,  you  have  enough  to  bear  as  it  is;  but 
•why  -were  you  so  sad  to-night?" 

"He  put  his  hand  under  her  chin,  lifting  up 
her  face:  "First,  and  greatest;  I  thought  I  had 
lost  that  which  was  dearest  to  me  of  aught  on 
earth;  I  thought  that  you  believed  me  guilty  of 
taking  that  money,  as  you  both  said  repeatedly 
that  I  was  the  only  one  who  knew  that  accursed 
combination — and  do  you  know,  Marjy,  that  I 
can  no  more  get  it  out  of  my  mind  than  I  can 
fly.  By  day  and  night  it  haunts  me  until  I  am 
very  near  insane.  I  see  it  before  me  like  sparks 
of  fire ;  I  heard  it  iterated,  and  reiterated,  and 
nothing  that  I  can  do  rids  rue  of  the  torture; 
frightful  or  grotesque  pictures  are  formed,  from 
the  midst  of  which  your  aunt's  face  looks  out  at 
me  with  wide-open,  reproachful  eyes." 

A  shudder  swept  over  him  at  the  remembrance; 
he  drew  her  into  closer  embrace,  and  said,  "Lit 
tle  comforter!  It  is  sweet  to  know  that  you  have 
faith  in  me,  when  friends  and  clients  are  desert 
ing  me ;  some  one  is  busily  reporting  the  whole 
affair,  with  numerous  embellishments;"  after  a 
moment's  pause,  he  continued:  "Do  you  think 
that  auntie  would  spread  the  report?" 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  179 

"Oh,  no!  No  matter  what  she  may  say  to  me, 
she  would  not  breathe  a  word  of  it  to  others.  I 
must  return  to  the  house,  or  someone  will  see  us 
talking,  and  there  will  be  more  reports,"  added 
Marjy  laughingly.  They  parted  with  many  fond 
words,  and  Marjy  went  home  happier  than  she 
Lad  been  in  many  a  day.  This  was  but  one  of 
many 'meetings. 

Aunt  Hattie's  whole  mental  attitude  seemed 
changed;  nothing  is  more  true  than  that  we  have 
very  little  knowledge  of  ourselves;  many  traits 
lie  dormant  until  circumstances  call  them  out; 
hidden  dogs  that  scenting  prey  hurry  forward 
in  restless  chase.  Auntie  had  ever  been  trust 
ing  to  a  singular  degree;  but  now  she  had  be 
come  suspicious  of  everyone,  and  when  Marjy 
went  out  two  or  three  nights  in  succession,  she 
regarded  her  distrustingly.  "I  do  wonder  now, 
if  Marjy  goes  out  to  meet  that  fellow !  Probably 
ihey  are  planning  that  they  will  have  a  good 
time  with  that  money.  Oh,  dear!  I  wish  that 
miserable  roll  of  bills  had  been  burned,  it 
wouldn't  have  given  me  half  as  much  trouble;  it 
is  the  uncertainty  that  vexes  me  so!" 

It  is  often  quoted  as  an  adage,  "out  of  people's 
mouths  we  must  judge  them."  I  shall  certainly 
have  to  differ  with  the  wise  old  proverb  maker, 
though  as  a  rule  he  is  right;  sometimes  people 
say  the  opposite  of  what  they  mean ;  most  cer 
tainly  Aunt  Hattie  did,  when  she  accused  either 
Henry  or  Marjy  of  using  the  money.  The  fact 
was  that  she  was  in  a  state  of  aggravating  uncer 
tainty  ;  she  had  no  actual  opinion,  being  in  a 


180  FLOATING   FANCIES. 

condition  of  endless  surmise,  and  consequent 
irritability,  which  must  have  an  outlet. 

That  night  her  suspicions  were  so  wrought  up 
that  she  followed  Marjy,  and  witnessed  the  loving 
meeting  of  the  two;  she  caught  a  sound  of  their 
low-toned  conversation,  although  she  could  not 
distinguish  their  words.  She  was  in  precisely 
that  frame  of  mind  to  imagine  that  everything 
was  intended  as  an  injury  to  her;  she  rushed 
at  them,  crying  and  scolding  incoherently. 

Marjy  in  an  agony  of  shame  tried  to  appease 
her,  but  in  vain.  Windows  were  hastily  thrown 
up  all  along  the  street:  "Oh,  auntie,  do  come 
home!  All  the  neighbors  are  listening;  auntie! 
auntie!  Just  think  of  the  comments!" 

Auntie  gave  a  frightened  glance  at  the  many 
opened  windows,  and  at  a  man  hurrying  toward 
them ;  gossip  over  her  affairs  had  been  the  great 
bugaboo  of  her  life;  she  regained  command  of 
herself  instantly.  The  man  was  rapidly  ap 
proaching  them,  his  face  alive  with  curiosity; 
just  as  he  was  on  the  point  of  speaking  to  them, 
auntie  sank  to  the  ground  with  a  groan  and  burst 
into  loud  weeping. 

Marjy  gave  Henry  a  frightened  glance,  and 
turned  to  auntie  in  the  greatest  distress.  Auntie 
cried  out  shrilly:  "Lift  me  up,  Henry!  Marjy, 
do  get  hold  on  the  other  side.  Oh,  dear!  Oh, 
dear.  My  poor  ankle,  I  know  that  it  is  broken!" 
and  with  much  groaning  and  crying  she  allowed 
herself  to  be  carried  into  the  house.  No  sooner 
had  the  street  door  closed  behind  them  than 
auntie  straightened  up  and  said  laughingly : 
"There,  I  think  my  ankle  is  all  right  now,  and 
those  old  gossips  have  missed  a  treat!" 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  18t 

She  was  so  elated  over  the  affair  that  she 
seemed  more  like  herself  than  for  a  long  time ; 
but  as  a  sequence  Marjy  could  go  out  no  more, 
unaccompanied  by  her  aunt.  Auntie  gave  Henry 
a  frigid  invitation,  but  he  seldom  came  to  the 
house,  and  when  he  did  so  wore  a  preoccupied 
and  uncomfortable  air;  auntie  was  often  dis 
agreeable,  and  Marjy  unhappy  and  despondent. 

About  this  time  a  cousin  of  Marjy's,  James 
Jordan,  came  to  visit  Auntie  Nelson ;  he  was  not 
long  in  discovering  that  things  were  in  an  un 
pleasant  condition.  He  formed  a  great  liking 
for  Henry,  who  on  the  contrary  was  very  jealous 
of  James.  Marjy  went  to  places  of  amusement, 
and  was  frequently  out  riding  with  him ;  cousin 
James  was  consulted  upon  all  occasions.  Marjy 
had  no  wrong  intention  in  so  doing;  she  thought 
of  him  merely  aa  her  cousin,  and  was  glad  of 
anything  that  eased  the  tension  under  which 
they  seemed  to  be  living.  Henry  had  become  so 
hypersensitive  that  he  shrank  from  everything. 
He  often  answered  James  with  absolute  incivil 
ity,  to  which  he  only  returned  some  laughing 
answer;  he  understood  the  situation  very  well, 
and  heartily  sympathized  with  the  lovers. 

One  evening  they  had  gathered  around  the 
table  in  auntie's  room;  several  new  magazines 
lay  scattered  about,  one  of  which  James  had 
been  reading.  Henry  was  unusually  silent  and 
depressed ;  his  business  had  steadily  decreased, 
and  more  than  one  taunt  had  been  leveled  at 
him;  he  had  ever  been  proud  of  his  integrity, 
and  scorned  all  things  debasing — as  all  dis 
honesty  whether  of  word  or  deed  must  be — and 


183  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

the  annoyance  had  developed  a  nervous  restless 
ness  which  prevented  sleep,  and  left  him  worn, 
haggard  and  miserable. 

James  looked  up  from  the  book  which  he  had 
been  reading  and  said,  "What  do  you  think 
about  hypnotism?  I  have  been  reading  this 
article,  and  am  very  much  impressed,  as  well  as 
interested  by  it." 

The  question  was  addressed  to  no  one  in  par 
ticular,  but  Henry  took  it  up,  and  answered 
roughly :  "I  think  it  is  a  lot  of  bosh!" 

James  replied  pleasantly:  "I  don't  know  that 
it  is,  though  it  may  be  so.  "We  know  that  there 
are  subtleties  of  the  mind  which  we  do  not 
understand,  and  I  do  not  see  why  there  should 
not  be  the  same  amount  of  force  in  the  higher 
power  of  man  as  in  the  physical;  great  feats, 
either  of  mind  or  muscle,  are  but  the  result  of 
training;  we  think  because  we  do  not  under 
stand  that  to  which  we  have  scarcely  given  a 
thought — much  less  investigated — that  it  cannot 
be  true;  we  have  no  right  to  cry  'wolf  until  we 
— at  least — uncover  our  eyes." 

Henry  lifted  up  his  face,  a  strange  eagerness 
in  his  voice  as  he  said,  "Do  3rou  then  believe 
that  you  could  unconsciously  to  me  force  me  to 
do  that  which  is  against  my  will?" 

"No,  indeed!  The  hypnotic  has  no  will;  it  is 
the  will  of  the  hypnotizer  working  through  him. 
I  believe  that  the  hypnotizer  may  not  even  be 
positive  as  to  a  knowledge  of  his  own  power — 
merely  a  half-consciousness,  a  way  in  which  one's 
thoughts  at  times  move — like  the  shadow  of  a 
fast-sailing  summer  cloud.  Of  course  to  be  so 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  183 

easily  influenced,  the  subject  must  be  of  a  yield 
ing,  plastic  temperament;  it  is  as  though  the 
operator  sent  a  portion  of  his  own  soul  on  a  brief 
visit  into  the  body  of  the  hypnotized. 

A  half-frightened  look  flashed  over  Henry's 
countenance — and  was  instantly  gone;  he  cried 
out  roughly:  "I  don't  believe  it!  I  don't  believe 
it!"  He  wiped  the  perspiration  from  his  face 
with  a  trembling  hand.  James  laughed  at  his 
vigorous  protest,  and  affected  not  to  see  the 
emotion  which  lay  behind  it,  so  he  answered 
lightly:  "No  compulsion  about  it,  this  is  just  a 
case  of  leave  it,  or  take  it,  as  you  please — which 
does  not  alter  the  fact  that  we  have  many  forces 
within  us  of  which  we  are  in  ignorance,"  he  re 
plied  quietly. 

"Well,  all  I  have  to  say  is  this,  I  wish  that  I 
had  the  power  to  get  one  good  night's  rest,  I 
think  that  hypnotism  would  be  a  blessing,  if  it 
were  the  means  of  securing  it  to  me;  I  lie  awake 
half  the  night  to  think  and  worry,  and  at  last 
fall  asleep  and  dream  it  all  over  again,  intensi 
fied  a  thousand  times,  and  aggravated  by  some 
thing,  which  each  night  persistently  occurs,  and 
which  I  try  all  day  to  recall  to  memory;  at  times 
I  just  touch  the  border — it  is  like  trying  to  grasp 
the  luminous  tail  of  a  comet — it  is  but  empty 
air."  He  suddenly  paused,  evidently  annoyed 
that  he  had  been  betrayed  into  an  expression  of 
his  feelings.  James  sat  up,  instantly  interested: 
"Can  you  not  concentrate  your  mind,  and  thus 
trace  the  sequence  of  that  which  you  do  remem 
ber?  Is  it  a  dream — or — or " 


2S%  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

"It  is  nothing!  I  tell  you  it  is  nothing!"  said 
Henry  testily. 

James  said  no  more,  but  he  knew  that  there 
•was  something  which  Henry  either  could  not,  or 
would  not  explain.  Later,  as  Henry  was  start 
ing  for  home,  James  laid  his  hand  on  his  shoul 
der  and  said,  "I  think  I  will  go  home  with  you, 
and  we  will  have  a  quiet  smoke  together,  it  will 
soothe  your  nerves,  and  perhaps  you  will  sleep 
better." 

At  first  Henry  shrugged  his  shoulders  impa 
tiently,  and  made  a  movement  as  though  he  would 
jerk  away  from  his  detaining  hand ;  but  as  James 
continued  speaking  he  seemed  to  change  his 
mind,  and  said  slowly:  "Very  well!  I  do  not 
often  smoke,  but  perhaps  it  would  quiet  my 
nerves,"  Aunt  Hattie  bade  him  a  very  crusty 
good-night;  she  had  been  very  sarcastic,  and  ill- 
natured  all  the  evening;  it  seemed  to  make  her 
angry  if  either  Marjy  or  Kenry  showed  any  en- 
:-cyment;  she  seemed  equally  angry  if  they  sat 
silent  and  unhappy. 

"Oh,  auntie,  you  oughfc  not  to  be  so  ill- 
natured!"  said  Marjy  after  they  had  gone. 

"Oh,  of  course,  I  am  the  one  to  blame!  If  I 
lost  everything  I  possess  on  earth,  I  ought  to 
keep  right  on  smiling — I  should  like  to  know 
what  James  went  home  with  Henry  for?  some 
scheming,  I  suppose!"  she  harped  upon  these 
two  strings  until  it  was  very  trying. 

James  locked  his  arm  in  Henry's,  talking 
pleasantly,  Henry  replying  absently  as  though 
he  but  half-comprehended* 

As  I  jQ&Tr  said  his  rooms  were  in  the  front 


BLOATING  FANCIES.  185 

part  of  the  house;  he  pulled  down  the  blinds, 
and  lighted  a  lamp  with  a  soft,  rose-colored 
shade,  and  threw  himself  into  an  easy-chair  with 
an  air  of  great  weariness.  James  seated  himself 
at  his  right  side,  but  with  his  chair  so  turned 
that  he  could  watch  Henry's  face.  He  led  him 
gently  on,  until,  before  he  realized  what  he  was 
doing,  he  was  pouring  all  his  distress  and  grief 
into  his  companion's  ear,  in  a  low,  dreamy  tone, 
an  aggrieved  quiver  running  through  his  voice. 

"Can  you  explain  what  it  is  that  haunts  your 
mind — you  remember  that  you  spoke  of  it  this 
evening?"  questioned  James. 

The  trouble  deepened  in  his  eyes,  and  his 
voice  took  on  a  more  fretful  tone:  "I  do  not 
know,  I  tell  you  the  truth,  I  do  not  know — but 
it  is  something  about  that  combination,  and — • 
Aunt  Hattie;  sometimes  I  can  almost  see  it;  \>ut 
before  I  can  quite  grasp  it,  it  is  gone.  I  believe 
that  I  shall  go  insane,  if  I  cannot  get  the  thing 
off  my  mind. " 

James  reached  over  and  laid  his  hand  on  the 
other's  shoulder  affectionately:  "Don't  Avorry, 
old  fellow!  It  will  all  come  out  right!  Did 
you  ever  try  to  bring  the  vision  before  you  bjr 
soncentrating  your  mind  upon  the  fragment 
which  you  seem  to  catch — not  at  first  trying  to 
get  any  further — and  thus  ascertain  how  much 
of  the  shadow  you  can  make  real?  When  you 
have  proved  that  the  haunting  remembrance  is 
not  wholly  illusory,  you  can  then  step  by  step 
trace  back  to  that  which  evades  you.  Henry 
obediently  rested  his  head  on  the  cushion,  and 
drew  a  long  breath  or  two  like  a  tired  sigh. 


186  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

"Well,  what  do  you  see?"  asked  James 
eagerly. 

He  answered  in  the  tone  of  a  child  repeating 
its  lesson:  "I  see  a  bright  light — "he  started 
up  excitedly:  "I  cannot  see  anything  beyond 
except  a  moving  shadow — Oh !  It  is  myself  that  I 
see!"  his  voice  expressive  of  intense  surprise. 

"Yes?  What  are  you  doing?"  James  asked, 
trembling  with  excitement. 

"Standing  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  repeat 
ing  the  combination  aloud — over  and  over  again, 
making  Aunt  Hattie  repeat  it  after  me." 

"Where  is  Aunt  Hattie?" 

"In  her  sitting  room." 

"How  do  you  see  this?" 

"It  is  like  a  picture!  This  is  that  which  has 
eluded  me  for  days — I  see  it  plainly  now." 

"Repeat  the  scene  just  as  it  has  been  enacted 
before." 

Henry  slowly  arose  from  his  chair,  and  walked 
to  the  center  of  the  room ;  here  he  paused  unde 
cidedly. 

"Well,  what  is  wrong?" 

Very  slowly  he  answered,  "I  do  not  know — I 
— do — not — know. " 

James  looked  puzzled;  at  last  he  asked:  "Do 
you  mean  that  you  cannot  do  again  that  which 
you  have  before  accomplished — that  some  pecu 
liar  condition  is  wanting?" 

Henry  merely  repeated  helplessly,  "I — do — 
not — know;  it  is  all  dark!  I  cannot  find — Aunt 
— Hattie!"  in  tone  of  great  distress. 

James  looked  perplexed:  "Sit  down  in  your 
chair,"  he  said.  Henry  obeyed,  and  presently 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  1B7 

James  awoke  him;  he  stretched  out  his  arms, 
yawning  sleepily.  "I  feel  awfully  tired, suppose 
we  go  to  bed!"  Evidently  he  had  110  remem 
brance  of  the  hypnotic  sleep. 

They  at  once  retired ;  Henry  sank  immediately 
into  a  profound  slumber,  but  James  lay  for  a  long 
time  troubling  over  an  idea  which  had  taken 
possession  of  his  mind.  He  did  not  believe 
Henry  guilty  of  stealing  the  money,  but  he  be 
lieved  that  he  was  shielding  the  person  who  did 
take  it.  Could  it  be  Marjy?  The  thought  made 
the  cold  sweat  start  out  on  his  face ;  the  next 
instant,  when  he  remembered  Marjy 's  frank  eyes 
as  she  appealed  to  him  to  try  his  hypnotic  power 
over  Henry,  he  felt  ashamed  of  the  thought;  her 
idea  was  merely  to  tease  Henry  for  his  strenuous 
opposition  to  it,  if  he  could  be  made  to  succumb 
to  the  influence;  but  James  had  an  altogether 
different  idea,  which  he  did  not  mention;  as  I 
have  said,  he  believed  that  Henry  knew  more 
about  the  money  than  he  professed  to  know. 
Now,  after  his  experiment,  he  was  completely  at 
a  loss;  he  could  form  no  opinion.  He  was  sur 
prised  that  he  found  him  so  easy  a  subject;  it 
was  perhaps  owing  to  his  mental  depression,  and 
consequent  relaxation  of  will  power. 

James  had  said  to  Marjy  that  afternoon,  "Per 
haps  Henry  did  take  the  money!" 

"I  know  that  he  did  not!"  she  answered  hotly. 

"How  do  3rou  know  that?" 

"Just  because  I  do  know;  I  cannot  explain 
how  I  know,  but  I  know  it!" 

James,  watching  the  flush  in  her  cheek,  was 
thinking  how  becoming  a  touch  of  anger  was  to 


188  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

her,  but  he  laughed  gayly  as  he  replied : 
"Woman's  reason;  logical  of  course;  just 
because!" 

This  returned  to  him  as  he  lay  there  too  per 
plexed  to  sleep.  "She  is  right  about  it;  he  did 
not  take  the  money,  or  else  he  would  have  be 
trayed  it;  and  this  knocks  my  theory  all  to 
pieces,  as  well;  he  would  have  told  if  he  knew 
who  did  take  it.  Confound  the  whole  business! 
"What  is  it  to  me,  that  I  should  worry  over  it?" 
He  turned  restlessly  in  the  bed,  trying  to  get 
to  sleep. 

Presently  Henry  began  to  mutter.  James 
grumbled  at  this  fresh  annoyance.  "I  had  best 
have  stayed  at  home,"  he  said. 

Henry  lifted  himself  upon  his  elbow,  whisper 
ing  rapidly. 

"That  confounded  combination!"  exclaimed 
James  in  disgust,  as  he  turned  over  to  look  at 
Henry ;  he  caught  his  breath  in  surprise. 

Slowly,  slowly  Henry  arose,  his  lips  moving 
rapidly,  as  a  child  repeats  its  lesson  to  impress 
it  upon  his  mind.  His  eyes  were  widely  opened, 
but  with  a  curious  introverted  look;  he  stepped 
slowly  forward,  a  look  of  concentration  on  his 
ghastly  features;  he  walked  to  the  center  of  the 
room  exactly  where  he  had  before  stood;  there 
he  paused  as  though  listening:  "Aunt  Hattie! 
Aunt  Hattie!"  he  called  clearly  and  distinctly; 
although  the  tone  was  very  low,  as  one  speaks 
who  is  desirous  of  being  heard  by  none  save  the 
person  addressed. 

James  jumped  out  of  bed,  bringing  his  hands 
together  softly.  "I  wonder  if  it  is  possible!"  he 


FLOATING   FANCIES.  189 

cried,  quivering  with  excitement;  he  hurried  on 
his  clothes  and  fairly  flew  down  the  stairs,  and 
let  himself  irito  Aunt  Hnttie's  house. 

As  he  passed  the  sitting  room  he  cautiously 
pushed  aside  the  portieres.  Aunt  Hattie  was  on 
her  knees  before  the  safe,  repeating  the  combi 
nation  in  almost  exactly  the  tone  in  which 
Henry  had  spoken.  James  dashed  up  the  stairs 
and  knocked  softly  at  Marjy's  door. 

"Who's  there?"  she  called  in  a  frightened 
tone. 

"It's  I,  James;  open  the  door,  Marjy;  do  not 
be  frightened,  but  hurry!"  Marjy  opened  the 
door  as  requested. 

"Oh,  what  is  it?"  her  voice  trembling. 

"Nothing  which  need  frighten  you.  I  have 
found  the  thief,  come!" 

Marjy  had  not  disrobed,  but  was  lying  on  the 
bed  reading,  and  immediate!}-  followed  him.  He 
hastily  whispered  an  explanation  as  they  hurried 
down  the  stairs;  in  conclusion  he  said:  "Now,  I 
want  you  to  watch  auntie,  and  see  just  what  she 
does;  I  will  go  back  and  watch  Henry's  move 
ments;  he  appears  like  a  sleepwalker,  and  auntie 
seems  to  be  hj'pnotized.  It's  a  queer  perform 
ance,  take  it  as  you  will."  • 

Marjy  was  white  and  trembling;  half  afraid, 
and  wholly  excited.  They  drew  aside  the  dra 
peries,  auntie  had  all  the  papers  contained  in  the 
safe  on  the  floor,  and  was  now  rummaging  in 
every  corner  as  though  searching  for  some  miss 
ing  thing;  muttering,  muttering  to  herself  all  the 
time. 

James  hurried  back  to  Henry's  rooms,  and  left 


190  FLOATING   FANCIES. 

Marjy  breathlessly  watching  Aunt  Hattie,  who 
was  carefully  gathering  up  the  scattered  papers, 
and  putting  them  back  in  their  several  places; 
she  then  closed  and  locked  the  safe. 

"Oh!"  breathed  Marjy,  in  keen  disappoint 
ment;  she  had  surely  thought  that  she  should 
know  where  the  money  was,  and  her  disappoint 
ment  was  great.  She  was  about  to  turn  away 
and  go  to  her  room,  she  felt  so  vexed,  when  her 
steps  were  arrested  by  hearing  her  aunt  say. — as 
though  replying  to  some  person : 

"Yes,  I  will!  I  forgot— Oh,  yes!  All  right!" 
and  with  a  quick  decided  step  she  walked  across 
the  room  to  a  great  easy-chair;  this  she  carefully 
turned  upon  its  side;  removed  one  of  the  casters, 
and  pulled  some  bills  out  of  the  cavity;  she 
appeared  to  count  them  carefully,  after  which 
she  replaced  them,  putting  the  caster  in  the  socket 
as  it  belonged.  Each  one  was  examined  in  turn, 
then  with  a  sigh  the  chair  was  placed  in  its  proper 
position  and  she  sank  into  its  depths  with  the 
audible  words:  "Yes,  Henry;  it  is  all  right!" 

Marjy  shivered  with  superstitious  awe;  silence 
unbroken  reigned  save  for  the  ticking  of  the 
clock,  and  the  breathing  of  Aunt  Hattie,  as 
she  lay  back  in  the  chair  looking  strangely 
cadaverous. 

James  quietly  let  himself  into  Henry's  room; 
he  still  stood  like  a  specter  in  the  middle  of  the 
floor;  the  red  glow  of  the  lamp  cast  a  weird  light 
over  his  pale  features,  his  expression  was  fixed 
and  intent:  his  face  was  turned  slightly  side- 
wise,  and  he  held  up  one  hand  as  one  who  listens 
intently:  "Yes,  that  is  right;  place  everything 


FLOATING   FANCIES.  1'J  L 

as  you  found  it,  and  go  to  your  bed!"  As  he 
ceased  speaking  he  turned  toward  his  own  bed, 
rested  a  moment  on  its  edge,  then  lay  down,  and 
drew  tho  covers  over  himself  as  though  just 
retiring;  he  was  soon  breathing  deeply,  and  like 
one  in  natural  slumber. 

James  threw  himself  into  a  chair,  and  slowly 
puffed  a  cigar  and  thought ;  finally  he  arose  and 
yawning  stretched  his  limbs.  "I'll  see  if  Marjy 
has  retired ;  I  think  I  understand  this  queer 
tangle,  but  I'm  blest  if  I  understand  how  to 
straighten  it  out!" 

He  quietly  let  himself  out  of  the  house,  and  as 
quietly  entered  auntie's  front  door;  Marjy  met 
him  in  the  hall,  and  drew  him  into  the  sitting 
room. 

"Where  is  auntie?"  he  asked. 

"Gone  to  her  bed;  do  tell  me  what  happened 
in  Henry's  room!"  she  said  eagerly.  She  sat 
looking  at  him  wide-eyed  and  wondering,  while 
he  related  all  that  had  occurred. 

"Well,  tell  me,  what  do  you  think  of  it?"  she 
questioned. 

He  thoughtfully  rolled  his  cigar  in  his  fingers 
for  a  few  minutes  before  replying.  "I  do  not 
quite  know;  Henry  was  certainly  asleep.  Now 
the  question  is  just  this;  could  he  hypnotize  your 
aunt  at  such  a  distance,  himself  being  in  a 
somnambulistic  state?" 

"I  do  not  think  that  he  is  conscious  of  posses 
sing  hypnotic  power,"  said  Marjy. 

"No,  he  would  doubtless  be  indignant  if  one 
suggested  such  a  thing;  but  he  certainly  has 
that  power,  and  really,  I  cannot  see  why  he  could 


192  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

not  use  the  force  just  as  -well  in  that  state  as 
though  awake,  so  long  as  his  mind  intelligently 
directed  it;  the  "will  power  is  just  as  strong  as 
at  any  time." 

"It  is  all  very  strange!  Now  that  we  know 
where  the  money  is,  what  are  we  to  do  about 
it?" 

"I  suppose  the  proper  thing  to  do  would  be 
to  tell  Aunt  Hattie  all  about  to-night's  free 
show!"  and  he  laughed  at  the  recollection. 

"I  should  really  be  afraid  to  tell  Aunt  Hattie; 
in  her  present  mood  there  is  no  saying  what  she 
would,  or  would  not  do,"  said  Marjy. 

James  replied  thoughtfully:  "That  is  true; 
we  had  best  sleep  over  it;  we  will  talk  it  over 
again  in  the  morning." 

James  did  not  return  to  Henry's  room,  he 
wished  to  be  alone,  that  he  might  better  solve 
the  problem  which  confronted  him. 

He  arose  the  following  morning  tired,  worn 
out  with  sleeplessness,  and  no  nearer  a  solution 
than  when  he  retired. 

Auntie  was  in  a  terrible  ill  humor,  the  atmos 
phere  seemed  surcharged  with  discord;  through 
out  the  whole  day  evei-ything  seemed  to  go 
amiss.  Marjy  was  burning  with  a  desire  to  tell 
her  aunt,  alternated  with  a  shivering  fear  of  her 
disbelief,  and  consequent  sarcastic  remarks. 
James  made  a  vain  endeavor  to  see  Henry;  no 
one  knew  his  whereabouts  all  day;  late  in  the 
evening  he  came  to  the  house,  looking  pale  and 
dispirited.  Marjy  clasped  his  hand  in  cordial 
gieeting;  this  elicited  an  angry  ejaculation  from 
Aunt  Hattie,  beyond  which  she  gave  no  sign 
that  she  knew  of  his  presence. 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  193 

James  and  Marjy  sat  looking  over  some 
stereoptic  views  to  cover  their  desire  to  watch 
the  two,  and  both  were  trying  to  find  a  suitable 
opportunity  to  bring  up  the  subject  of  the  lost 
money,  so  as  to  be  able  to  explain  how  they  came 
by  their  knowledge  of  the  hiding  place.  The 
attitude  of  both  Henry  and  auntie  was  such  as 
to  discourage  a  commencement.  At  last  James 
wrote  on  a  card:  "You  will  have  to  tell  them;  I 
will  corroborate  your  account." 

Marjy  replied :  "Oh,  I  cannot.  It  makes  me 
shiver  to  think  of  it;  they  both  look  so  forbid 
ding." 

Henry  sat  on  the  corner  of  a  sofa,  with  his 
eyes  fixed  intently  on  Aunt  Hattie;  they  did  not 
observe  this  until  she  arose  and  stood  beside  her 
chair  as  though  waiting;  her  lips  were  moving 
rapidly  but  inaudibly.  Henry,  still  looking 
fixedly  at  her,  said  slowly:  "Speak  aloud!" 
She  began  repeating  the  combination,  and  stop 
by  step  went  through  the  performance  of  the 
previous  night,  until  she  had  taken  the  money 
from  its  hiding  place.  Henry  at  that  moment, 
pale  and  resolute — though  trembling  with  excite 
ment — commanded  her  to  awaken. 

It  was  most  pitiable  to  see  her  when  she 
realized  her  situation;  the  overturned  chair;  the 
casters  Ij'ing  on  the  floor;  the  bills  grasped  in 
her  shaking  hands;  Marjy  and  James  silently 
regarding  her;  Henry,  with  a  look  of  exhaustion 
on  his  face,  la.v  back  among  the  dark  cushions. 
At  first  she  was  utterly  bewildered;  then,  as  she 
looked  at  the  bills  grasped  in  her  hands,  a  ray 
of  joy,  quickly  succeeded  by  anger,  gave  her 


194  FLOATING   FANCIES. 

voice:  "You  think  you  are  awful  smart,  don't 
you?  Playing  tricks  on  an  old  woman!  I 
should  like  to  know  what  you  have  been  doing 
to  me!"  she  stormed;  then  looking  at  the  open 
safe,  and  the  bills  in  her  hand  she  began  to  sob 
weakly. 

"Don't  cry,  auntie,  it  is  all  right!"  said  Mar jy 
soothingly. 

"No,  no!  It  isn't  right!  I  remember  now — 
of  hiding  that  money;  and  to  think  that  I  have 
accused  Henry  and  you  of  taking  it — Oh,  dear! 
Oh,  dear!"  sobbed  she;  "I  did  no-t  remember  it 
until  now!"  she  wailed  disconsolately. 

Henry  came  and  laid  his  hand  upon  her  shoul 
der:  "Do  not  fret,  auntie;  I  think  there  is  no 
one  to  blame,  if  so,  it  must  be  my  fault.  I  have 
always  been  a  somnambulist,  and  always  been 
ashamed  of  it — as  though  I  could  help  it;  but  I 
had  no  idea  that  I  possessed  any  hypnotic  power; 
in  fact  I  did  not  believe  in  the  existence  of  such 
a  force — at  least  I  did  not  wish  to  believe  it — 
which  in  all  probability  is  just  what  led  to  this 
occurrence.  You  remember  that  we  were  speak 
ing  of  hypnotism  the  night  of  the  disappearance 
of  the  money ;  Marjy  defended  the  theory,  and  I 
opposed  it  in  order  to  draw  her  out;  some  asser 
tions  which  she  made  struck  me  as  being  very 
forcible,  and  I  could  not  rid  myself  of  the 
thoughts  engendered,  any  more  than  I  could  get 
rid  of  the  repetition  of  that  combination.  It  has 
been  like  a  nightmare  to  me,  and  each  day  there 
had  been  a  shadow  of  some  occurrence  of  the 
past  night  which  has  persistently  evaded  me.  I 
have  been  haunted  all  this  day  by  something 


FLOATING   FANCIES.  195 

which  occurred  last  night,  which  seemed  like  a 
vivid  dream,  and  I  thought  I  would  put  it  to  the 
test.  You  cannot  be  more  surprised  at  the  re 
sult  than  I  am." 

James  and  Marjy  now  came  forward :  "I  think 
that  Marjy  and  I  will  also  have  to  make  confes 
sion;  I  think  that  your  being  able  to  recall  a 
portion  of  last  night's  events  was  due  to  the 
slight  influence  which  I  gained  over  you ;  I  tried 
to  impress  it  upon  your  mind  that  you  must  re 
member  what  occurred,  but  I  thought  that  I  had 
failed  completely."  He  then  made  a  complete 
explanation,  which  Marjy  fully  corroborated. 
Auntie  laughed  and  sobbed  in  the  same  breath : 
"I've  been  an  old  crank;  but  the  uncertainty 
worried  me  so  that  I  could  not  help  it — and  my 
part  of  the  general  confession  is  that  a  sense  of 
knowledge — which  I  could  not  grasp — tormented 
me  continually,  but  I  would  not  have  confessed 
it  for  twice  that  amount  of  money.  However, 
"All's  well  that  ends  well."  Marjy,  you  may 
have  the  money  to  buy  a  wedding  trousseau,  and 
when  Henry  is  my  nephew  I  trust  that  he  will 
not  hypnotize  his  old  aunt,  either  when  he  is 
sleeping  or  waking." 


196  FLOATING  FANCIES. 


HIS   FKIEND. 

THE  two  log  cabins  stood  on  the  grassy  slopes 
of  opposite  mountains,  the  dark  pifions  forming 
a  picturesque  background ;  a  babbling  brook  ran 
between  the  two, a  boundary  line  of  molten  silver. 

Sam  Nesterwood's  door  faced  north,  and  Phil 
Boyd's  door  looked  south;  while  they  were 
building  the  cabins  Phil  remarked  that  it 
looked  so  much  more  sociable  that  way. 

When  Phil  came  out  in  the  morning  to  plunge 
his  wind-browned  face  into  the  tin  wash  basin, 
filled  with  cold  water  from  the  stream  below,  he 
usually  saw  Sam  doing  the  same;  or  perhaps, 
taking  the  grimy  towel  off  the  wooden  peg  just 
outside  the  door,  with  which  he  scrubbed  his 
face,  and  even  the  tiny  bald  spot  on  the  top  of 
his  head,  to  a  shiny  red. 

Phil  came  out  as  usual  one  still  October  morn 
ing;  the  cottonwoods  were  just  turning  a  soft 
golden  color — fairy  gold — in  a  setting  of  dark 
green  and  gray — autumn's  gorgeous  mosaic. 

A  chipmunk  darted  saucily  by,  and  just  be 
yond  reach  sat  up  chattering  a  comical  defiance; 
a  lone  bluebell  nodded  in  the  wind,  swaying 
from  side  to  side  seeking  its  vanished  compan 
ions;  blood-red  leaves  peeped  out  from  under 
dry  grasses,  or  decked  the  sides  of  a  gray 
bowlder. 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  197 

Phil  looked  cheerfully  around;  he  snapped  his 
fingers  at  the  saucy  squirrel,  and  laughed  at  the 
blinking,  black  eyes;  looking  across  at  the  oppo 
site  cabin  he  bawled,  "Hello,  Sam!" 

"Hello  yourself!"  retorted  Sam.  This  had 
been  the  morning  salutation,  never  varied, 
though  all  the  summer  months.  Each  evening 
after  their  day's  work  they  met  at  one  or  the 
other  cabin  to  compare  rock;  to  talk  over  a  lucky 
strike,  or  the  mishap  of  a  mutual  acquaintance, 
not  that  much  sympathy  was  expended  or 
needed. 

"Jim's  claim  has  petered  out;  he's  out  about 
six  months'  work,  and  all  his  money." 

"You  don't  say!  Oh,  well,  Jim  won't  stay 
broke  very  long;  he's  a  hustler."  It  was  not 
from  want  of  sympathy,  but  because  of  a  confi 
dence  begotten  of  this  hard  life,  much  as  the 
sparrow  might  argue,  "having  never  wanted  for 
food,  I  shall  be  always  fed." 

Later  in  the  morning  Phil  climbed  the  steep 
trail  which  led  to  his  claim  high  upon  the  moun 
tain  side.  The  days  were  perceptibly  growing 
shorter,  and  it  was  quite  dark  when  he  came 
down  this  October  evening.  Halfway  down  the 
trail  he  thought  he  heard  a  groan. 

His  halting  foot  dislodged  a  stone,  and  sent  it 
crashing  down  the  mountain  side ;  the  rushing 
sound  of  a  night  hawk  overhead;  the  melancholy 
Loot  of  an  owl  in  the  pinons;  the  bark  of  a 
coyote  in  the  distance,  all  seemed  but  to  accen 
tuate  the  silence. 

As  I  have  said,  night  had  fallen,  coming  sud 
denly,  as  it  ever  does  in  the  mountains;  no 


198  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

dewy,  tender  twilight  as  in  lower  altitudes ;  the 
sun  hanging  low  in  the  western  sky  seems  phan 
tasm-like  to  drop  behind  the  distant  peaks;  a 
chill  wind  whistles  through  the  pifions  like 
a  softly  sung  dirge;  darkness  settles  down  like  a 
pall — and  it  is  night. 

Phil  thought  that  he  must  be  mistaken,  and 
again  started  on  his  homeward  way ;  the  groan 
ing  was  repeated  almost  at  his  very  feet. 

He  searched  vainly,  but  could  find  no  person, 
nothing  to  account  for  the  sound. 

Dead  silence  had  fallen  again.  Phil  shiv 
ered,  "This  wind  is  mighty  cold!"  he  muttered, 
his  hand  shaking,  his  teeth  inclined  to  chatter. 
He  took  off  his  hat  to  wipe  the  perspiration  from 
his  brow,  which  had  gathered  in  great  drops 
notwithstanding  the  chill  wind;  he  cast  a  furtive 
glance  behind  him;  it  was  all  so  terribly  un 
canny.  "Oh!  0 — h!"  came  again  at  his  very 
feet;  he  gave  a  frightened  start,  and  an  involun 
tary  ejaculation:  "Great  God!"  then  gathered 
himself  together  and  renewed  his  search,  this 
time  rewarded  by  finding  Sam  lying  under  the 
shelter  of  a  rock  badly  wounded. 

It  was  a  hard  task  to  carry  him  down  that 
steep  trail,  and  Phil  said,  pityingly,  many  times, 
"It's  awful  rough,  pard,  but  there's  no  help  for 
it." 

He  carried  him  into  the  cabin,  and  laying  him 
on  his  bed,  built  a  fire,  and  with  a  touch  gen 
tle  as  that  of  a  woman  bathed  and  dressed  his 
wound. 

He  found  that  a  bullet  had  plowed  a  ragged 
furrow  down  his  leg,  and  shattered  the  smaller 
bone  halfway  between  the  knee  and  the  ankle. 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  199 

Phil  had  a  little  knowledge  of  surgery;  these 
nomads  of  the  hills  are  often  far  from  surgical 
aid,  and  of  a  necessity  attain  a  degree  of  skill  in 
such  matters.  Having  made  his  patient  as  com 
fortable  as  possible,  Phil  lay  down  on  the  floor, 
rolled  in  a  single  blanket,  to  rest  until  morning. 

The  autumn  days  crept  by  in  drowsy  calm — a 
stillness  deeper  and  more  sad  than  in  lower  alti 
tudes;  the  whistle  of  the  late  bird  as  he  calls  to 
his  mate  to  hasten  their  migration  is  unheard 
here;  the  shrill  notes  of  the  cicada,  which  fills 
the  autumn  days  in  the  moist,  odorous  woods  ia 
unknown  in  these  barren  heights;  the  dry, 
stubbly  bunch  grass,  the  gray,  dusty  sage 
brush  harbors  no  insect  life  save  an  occasional 
lonely  cricket,  and  even  these  are  strangely 
silent.  No  birds  flit  from  tree  to  tree  save  the 
magpies,  with  their  gorgeous  black  and  white 
plumage,  and  their  harsh  discordant  cries,  and 
these  are  only  seen  along  the  streams.  An  occa 
sional  hawk  sails  above  the  pifions  in  graceful 
curves,  or  darts  downward  like  an  arrow  shot 
from  a  bow.  All  else  is  silent  and  lifeless. 

The  sun  lies  white  and  brilliant  over  all;  the 
long  shadows  lie  on  the  gray  ground  as  though 
painted  there;  the  tiny  streams  hurry  between 
their  rocky  banks,  as  though  in  haste  to  get 
away  from  a  too  cloudless  sky. 

Long  stretches  of  hills  rise  and  fall  away,  dry, 
desolate  and  gray;  a  wierd  loneliness  and  beauty 
lies  over  all — the  grandeur  of  desolation. 

The  leaves  had  fluttered  down  to  the  bare 
earth,  and  a  few  flakes  of  snow  had  been  tossed 


200  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

about  by  the  nipping  wind,  ere  Sam  Nesterwood 
was  able  to  tell  the  story  of  bis  accident.  He 
was  riding  up  tbe  trail  to  a  claim  be  tbougbt  of 
relocating;  be  considered  tbe  broncho  be  rode 
"all  right,"  but  some  reminiscence  of  his  fore 
fathers,  some  prompting  of  tbe  wild  blood  which 
is  never  wholly  subdued,  must  have  possessed 
the  animal,  for  without  the  slightest  warning, 
head  down,  back  arched  like  an  angry  cat,  he 
bucked  outrageously. 

Sam  was  too  good  a  rider  to  be  easily  thrown, 
but  the  unexpected  movement  threw  his  pistol 
from  his  belt;  it  struck  the  pommel  of  the  sad 
dle,  discharging  its  contents  into  his  leg,  and 
although  it  felt  as  though  red-hot  iron  tore 
through  the  flesh,  be  still  retained  his  seat; 
then  he  must  have  fainted,  for  he  knew  no  more 
until  near  nightfall.  When  consciousness  re 
turned  he  was  lying  on  the  ground;  he  felt 
chilled  through,  and  his  limb  was  so  stiff  and 
sore  that  he  could  scarcely  move.  He  sought  to 
get  nearer  to  a  large  rock  for  shelter  from  the 
cold  wind;  it  had  by  this  time  grown  quite 
dusk,  and  beneath  the  rock  was  so  dark  that  he 
could  not  see,  thus  he  rolled  into  the  hole  be 
neath,  where  Phil  found  him. 

During  all  the  time  of  Sam's  illness,  Phil  each 
day  climbed  the  rugged  trail  to  work  for  a 
neighboring  miner,  letting  his  own  assessment 
work  wait,  while  he  earned  the  money  to  pay 
doctor's  bills,  buy  medicines;  supply  Sam 
with  books  to  read,  and  delicacies  to  tempt  his 
appetite.  Phil  denied  himself  all  but  the  barest 
subsistence.  Sam  smoked  cigars,  read  books, 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  301 

and  ate  the  most  expensive  delicacies,  as  though 
such  things  where  no  more  than  his  right. 

Thus  affairs  went  on  until  near  the  beginning 
of  February-  Sam  was  practically  well,  but  he 
made  no  effort  to  get  about. 

Phil  had  bought  a  great  easy-chair  for  him  in 
the  first  stages  of  his  convalescence,  and  he  sat 
in  the  coziest  corner,  and  piled  the  fireplace  high 
with  wood,  although  Phil  had  to  "snake"  it 
more  than  half  a  mile  down  the  steep  mountain 
side. 

It  was  a  bitter  night;  the  wind  blew  bleak 
over  the  hills,  driving  the  little  snow  that  had 
fallen  before  it,  so  many  needle  like  points, 
which  left  the  face  stinging  with  pain.  Just  at 
nightfall  it  had  grown  warmer,  and  the  scudding 
clouds  began  to  drop  their  fleecy  burden,  a  fairy 
mantle  over  all  the  rugged  hills. 

Phil  came  home  covered  with  snow,  his  long 
mustache  ridiculously  lengthened  by  icicles,  his 
eyebrows  white  as  those  of  Father  Time. 

He  set  his  lunch  pail  down  moodily,  and  shook 
himself  much  as  a  spaniel  shakes  the  water  from 
his  shaggy  coat;  he  threw  himself  on  a  bench 
before  the  fire  with  a  tired  sigh;  and  rested  his 
elbows  on  his  knees,  his  chin  dropped  in  his 
upturned  palms. 

Sam  shivered  as  some  of  the  flying  particles  of 
snow  struck  him. 

"Can't  you  be  a  little  more  careful;  you'll 
give  me  my  death  of  cold  yet!"  he  grumbled. 

"I  did  not  intend  to  wet  you,"  answered 
Philip  very  gently,  not  changing  his  position. 


202  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

"You  must  be  clown  in  the  dumps!  What  is 
the  matter  with  you?"  said  Sam  irritably. 

This  habit  of  half-grumbling  and  fault-finding 
had  become  so  common  with  Sam  that  Phil 
made  no  reply.  After  a  minute's  silence,  he  be 
gan  again : 

"Aren't -we  going  to  have  any  supper  to-night? 
It's  most  infernal  monotonous  sitting  here  alone 
all  day  with  nothing  to  read,  and  not  even  a 
square  meal." 

Phil  arose  wearily,  and  began  laying  the  cloth 
on  the  table ;  soon  the  bacon  was  sizzling  mer 
rily,  the  teakettle  bumping  the  lid  up  and  down 
for  very  jo/,  and  the  fragrance  of  coffee  filled 
the  room. 

Phil  took  from  the  box  nailed  against  the 
wall  a  small  dish  of  peaches,  a  couple  of  slices 
of  cake,  and  a  little  cheese,  which  he  put  beside 
Sam's  plate. 

"Supper  is  ready,"  said  he  gravely. 

Sam  arose  lazily,  and  Phil  wheeled  his  easy- 
chair  up  to  the  table;  then  poured  out  the  coffee, 
and  drew  up  his  own  rough  bench.  He  offered 
a  slice  of  the  bacon  to  Sam,  before  helping  him 
self. 

"No,"  said  Sam  testily,  "I'm  tired  of  bacon. 
I  hate  the  very  smell  of  it.  I  do  wish  I  could 
have  something  decent  to  eat!" 

Phil  made  no  reply,  but  ate  his  bread  and 
bacon,  and  drank  his  coffee  in  silence.  Sam 
leaned  back  in  his  chair,  his  head  resting  on  the 
cushion,  and  looked  at  Phil  from  under  half- 
closed  eyelids.  "Your  countenance  is  an  appe 
tizer!  You  are  about  as  cheerful  as  a  tomb- 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  203 

•tone!"  a  curious  anxiety  underlying  his 
sneering  tone. 

As  Phil  did  not  reply,  he  continued:  "Can't 
you  open  your  clam  shell,  and  spit  out  your 
grievance?  I  suppose  I  have  offended  your 
saintship  in  some  way,  'though  what  I've  done 
except  to  stay  all  alone  and  put  up  with  all  sorts 
of  discomforts  is  more  than  I  know,"  the 
questioning  tone  in  the  first  part  of  his  speech 
shading  off  into  a  sullen  grumbling  toward  the 
end. 

Phil  lifted  his  gloomy  face. 

"I  have  given  you  no  reason  for  that  kind  of 
talk;  I  can't  grin  very  much  when  some  galoot 
has  jumped  my  claim,"  he  replied  slowly. 

"You  don't  say!     "Who  the  deuce — 

"The  name  marked  on  the  new  stake  is  Jim 
Redmond,  but  that  don't  count  much,"  answered 
Phil  despondently. 

"I  suppose  you  think  I'd  be  sneak  enough  to 
do  it,"  retorted  Sam,  the  strange,  questioning 
look  deepening  in  bis  eyes. 

"Oh,  come  off,  Sam!  What  is  the  use  of  talk 
ing  that  kind  of  stuff?  I'm  not  quite  so  suspi 
cious  as  that;  why,  you  haven't  been  up  the  trail 
in  months,"  answered  Phil,  with  a  kindly  look. 

"No;  and  rny  name  is  not  Jim  Redmond;  but 
you  ought  to  have  done  your  assessment  work ; 
you  can't  very  well  blame  him,  whoever  he  may 
be." 

"No;  p'raps  not,"  said  Phil  slowly,  and  it 
seemed  somewhat  doubtingly;  then  he  added: 
"What  makes  me  sore  is  that  it  was  looking 
so  good.  Well,  there's  no  use  in  wearing 


204  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

mourning,  I  suppose;"  and  he  tried  to  laugh 
cheerfully.  After  supper,  notwithstanding  the 
inclemency  of  the  night  Phil  trudged  patiently 
the  long  six  miles  into  town,  that  Sam  might 
have  the  coveted  books,  and  a  tender  steak  for 
his  breakfast. 

Sam  evinced  no  desire  to  return  to  his  own 
cabin ;  on  the  contrary  he  said,  in  his  peculiarly 
soft  tones,  "I  guess  we'd  better  finish  the  winter 
together,  had't  we,  Phil?  I'm  not  very  strong 
yet,  and  one  fire  will  do  for  both;  of  course  I'll 
put  up  my  share  of  the  grub." 

"Oh,  that's  all  right;  I'm  glad  of  your  com 
pany,"  replied  Phil. 

Sam  must  have  considered  his  company  a 
sufficient  compensation,  for  he  contributed  noth 
ing  toward  the  expense  of  living;  he  took  tho 
most  ami  the  best  of  everything;  the  choicest  of 
the  food;  the  only  chair;  the  warmest  corner  of 
the  fireplace;  and  the  only  good  bed.  If  he 
ever  saw  Phil's  self  denial,  he  made  no  sign.  If 
Phil  ever  thought  hita  selfish,  he  did  not  show 
it ;  that  which  he  gave  he  gave  royally. 

One  evening  Phil  came  in  fiom  work;  it  was 
bitter  cold;  the  stars  snapped  and  twinkled;  the 
frost  showed  a  million  glittering  points  in  the 
white  moonlight;  the  ground  cracked  like  tiny 
pistol  shots;  the  wind  whistled  shrilly,  and  cut 
like  a  whiplash. 

Phil  shook  himself,  and  threw  off  his  cap  and 
coat: 

"This  is  a  scorcher  and  no  mistake,"  he 
stretched  out  his  hands  basking  in  the  warmth. 

Sam  had  hovered  over  the  fire  all  day,  reading. 


FLOATING   FANCIES.  205 

He  leaned  back  in  his  chair,  a  tantalizing  light 
in  his  eyes. 

"You've  been  working  the  Mollie  Branscome, " 
he  asserted,  rather  than  asked. 

Phil  nodded  his  head.  Sam  continued:  "I 
say,  Phil,  is  Mollie  Branscome  your  sweetheart, 
that  you  named  your  claim  after  her?" 

Phil  colored  painfully,  but  after  a  minute  he 
replied  dryly:  "It  must  be  information  you're 
seekin';  I  wasn't  aware  that  it  concerned  any 
one  but  myself." 

Sam  laughed  sneeringly. 

"Awful  close  with  your  little  romance!" 

To  Phil  it  was  a  romance;  and  in  giving  the 
name  to  his  claim  he  but  obeyed  the  impulse  to 
have  it  ever  on  his  lips.  "Mollie,"  his  manner 
of  speaking  it  was  ever  a  caress. 

Sam  laughed,  and  passed  the  remark  off  as  a 
joke. 

One  day  Sam  brought  Phil  a  letter  from  his 
old  father,  asking  him  to  come  home,  as  he  was 
very  ill  and  wished  to  see  him  once  more  before 
lie  died.  Phil  turned  the  letter  over  thought 
fully,  and  Sam  hastened  to  say:  "I  tried  to  get 
on  to  the  horse,  and  he  jumped  sideways  and 
dumped  the  whole  pile  of  mail  into  the  dirt;  it's 
an  awful  mess,  but  I  couldn't  help  it,"  apolo 
getically. 

"Oh  't  Avasn't  that!  but  the  old  man's  writing 
don't  look  natural.  I  am  afraid  he  is  pretty 
bad."  He  pulled  his  mustache  thoughtfully  for 
a  few  minutes. 

"I  don't  just  see  how  I  can  manage  it.    I  have 


206  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

just  about  money  enough  to  get  there,  but  none 
to  return,"  said  he. 

Sam  leaned  back  in  his  chair,  blowing  a  long 
cloud  of  smoke  meditatively.  Finally  he  said  : 
"I  had  an  offer  for  the  Little  Darling  this  morn 
ing;  you  go,  if  you  want  to,  and  I'll  make  the 
deal,  and  send  you  a  fifty ;  you  can  pay  it  after 
you  come  back." 

Phil's  face  lit  up  with  a  pleasant  smile. 

"Sam,  it's  awful  good  of  you!"  he  exclaimed 
impulsively. 

"Oh,  I'm  always  willing  to  do  a  favor  when  I 
can,"  nonchalantly,  seeming  to  be  utterly  for 
getful  of  all  that  Phil  had  done  for  him;  un 
mindful  that  at  this  veiy  moment  he  was  smok 
ing  Phil's  tobacco,  warming  himself  at  Phil's 
fire,  and  this  moment  contemplating  the  eating 
of  the  food  of  Phil's  providing.  His  manner  of 
speaking  would  imply  that  this  was  but  one 
more  of  many  benefits  of  his  conferring. 

As  Phil  was  leaving  to  go  to  his  father,  Sam 
said: 

"I'll  take  good  care  of  everything  for  you. " 

"All  right!  thanks,  andgood-by!"  called  Phil 
heartily. 

Phil's  father  was  very  much  surprised  to  see 
him;  no  message  had  been  sent;  and  he  was 
well  but  none  the  less  glad  to  see  Phil. 

Phil  wrote  to  Sam  at  once,  but  as  he  received 
no  replj'  wrote  again  and  again. 

He  did  not  need  money,  as  his  father  had 
given  him  more  than  enough,  but  he  feared  that 
some  ill  had  befallen  his  friend. 

As    Phil   left  the   stagecoach   on  his    return 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  207 

home,  three  months  later,  he  at  once  sought 
Mollie;  he  had  received  no  letter  from  her  dur 
ing  his  absence,  although  he  had  repeatedly 
written.  He  knocked,  and  Mollie  herself 
'  opened  the  door.  Phil  reached  out  his  hand 
in  glad  greeting;  she  drew  back  coldly. 

"Is  there  anything  you  wish,  sir?"  as  she 
would  address  a  stranger. 

Phil's  face  flushed  hotly,  then  went  deadly 
pale.  He  looked  at  her  reproachfully. 

"I  think  not,"  he  replied  sadly,  as  he  turned 
away. 

With  natures  such  as  these  a  tragedy  may 
occur  unobserved  by  the  bystander. 

To  Phil  the  sun  seemed  to  have  set,  all  looked 
GO  dark  and  gloom}-.  As  he  swung  off  over  the 
lonely  mountain  trail,  the  gurgling  water  in  the 
brook  below  seemed  to  mock  him;  the  scent  of 
the  springing  vegetation  caused  a  feeling  of 
irritation,  his  heart  was  so  full  of  bitter  disap 
pointment. 

Lonely  and  more  lonely  grew  the  way;  no  life 
save  himself,  he  just  a  dark  speck  upon  that 
yellow  trail  crawling  up  the  mountain  side. 
Even  his  panting  breath  seemed  to  disturb  the 
dead  calm,  as  he  paused — taking  off  his  hat — 
to  look  up  to  his  cabin.  He  shaded  his  eyes, 
and  looked  eagerly.  Only  a  blackened  spot 
marked  where  his  home — humble,  but  still  a 
home — had  stood.  He  looked  higher  up  the  side 
of  the  mountain  to  where  the  Mollie  Branscome 
lay ;  he  drew  his  breath  sharply ;  where  he  had 
left  a  windlass  and  bucket,  a  frame  shafthouse 
arose.  The  sharp  spurt  of  steam  rising  on  the 


208  FLOATING    FANCIES. 

fast  chilling  air  denoted  a  perfectly  set  valve; 
he  saw  hurrj'ing  forms  of  men  at  work;  he  shut 
his  teeth  hard  together,  a  fiery  red  spot  rising 
in  either  cheek.  He  felt  neither  fatigue  nor  de 
pression  now;  he  breathed  stertoriously  as  he 
toiled  up  the  steep  trail. 

Sam  was  the  first  person  that  he  met. 

Phil  pointed  to  a  name  above  the  shafthouse 
door:  "The  New  Discovery."  "What  does 
that  mean?"  he  demanded  hoarsely. 

"What's  it  to  you?"  answered  Sam  derisively. 

Poor  Phil!  His  blood  seemed  on  fire.  The 
sneer;  the  taunting  look;  it  was  like  letting  a 
brilliant  light  shine  into  a  dark  place;  ho  knew 
by  that  'sixth  sense/  intuition,  all  the  treachery 
of  this  false  friend.  He  knew  who  had  sent  him 
upon  a  fool's  errand;  he  knew  who  had  stolen 
his  first  claim,  and  had  some  accomplice  mark 
the  stake  in  a  false  name;  a  memory  of  his  sys 
tematic  sponging  for  more  than  half  a  year 
goaded  him  to  madness;  many,  very  many  acts, 
before  unconsidered,  came  to  his  mind  fraught 
with  meaning.  The  veins  on  his  forehead  stood 
out  like  purple  cord,  and  he  made  a  wild  lunge 
at  Sam.  Sam  turned  to  run ;  he  stepped  on  a 
rolling  stone  and  went  down  helplessly ;  he  lay 
there  glaring  up  at  Phil,  fear  and  vindictive 
hatred  strangely  blent  in  his  gaze. 

Phil  stood  over  him  like  an  avenger: 

"So!  You  thought  to  rob  me  of  this  claim  as 
you  did  of  the  other,  did  you?"  his  voice  quiv 
ering  hoarsely. 

"You've  got  me  down,  now  strike  me!"  an- 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  209 

swered  Sana,  his  eyes  glaring  wildly,  his  teeth 
showing  like  those  of  a  wild  animal.  "Yes, 
I  did  jump  your  claim;  and  I've  got 
the  papers  to  show  for  the  Mollie  Branscome; 
the  Mollie  Branscome!  You  thought  you  were 
awful  sly,  but  I  jumped  that  claim  too;  your 
letters  to  her  put  me  on.  She  thinks  you  went 
East  to  marry  your  old  love;  we,  ave  troing  to  be 
married  to-morrow  night!"  he  cried  tauntingly; 
he  seemed  to  have  gone  insane  with  rage. 

As  Phil  listened  to  him  the  fierce  anger  died 
out  of  his  face,  and  contempt  took  its  place;  but 
he  only  ejaculated : 

"You  contemptible  cur!"  as  he  stepped  back 
and  folded  his  arms. 

The  workmen  had  gathered  about,  and  stood 
in  silent  amazement;  their  looks  seemed  to  anger 
Sam  still  more,  and  he  continued  his  insane 
taunting: 

"Oh,  you  wanted  me  to  take  care  of  your 
things,  didn't  you?  I  took  care  of  them,  oh, 
yes!"  and  he  thrust  his  tongue  in  his  cheek 
derisively. 

He  had  risen  to  his  feet  by  this  time,  and 
stood  leaning  his  back  against  the  shafthouse. 
Phil  stood  a  minute  without  speaking,  pity 
struggling  with  contempt  in  his  heart;  finally 
he  said  slowly,  and  without  a  trace  of  anger: 

"Well!  Your'e  slopping  over  pretty  freely. 
If  you  burned  my  cabin  thinking  to  destroy  my 
papers,  you  got  left;  I  took  them  with  me,  and 
you  must  have  forgotten  that  they  are  recorded. 
As  to  the  other  affair  which  you  have  tangled 
with  your  dirty  fingers,  I  think  that  I  can 


210  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

straighten  that  out  all  right.  You  are  too  con 
temptible  to  whip,  but  I  advise  you  to  make 
yourself  scarce. " 

"I  believe  he  did  burn  that  cabin,  because  no 
one  has  ever  been  inside  of  his  shack  since  the 
fire  ;  probably  he  has  some  things  there  that  he'd 
rather  not  have  seen.  I  always  thought  that 
things  looked  mighty  queer,"  said  big  Cal 
Wagner. 

"Let's  all  quit  -work.  I'll  not  strike  another 
stroke  for  the  likes  of  'im,"  said  Denny  Colby. 

"Say,  aren't  you  the  fellow  that  took  care  of 
this  skunk  when  he  was  hurt?"  asked  Cal. 

"Yes,"  tersely  replied  Phil. 

"Well,  you'd  better  git  up  and  dust,  you 
miserable  apology  for  a  man!"  cried  Cal,  indig 
nantly  turning  to  Sam. 

"And  he  made  out  that  you  had  skipped  the 
country,  and  that  he  bought  the  claim,  so  that 
you  needn't  go  dead  broke.  If  he  don't  leave 
it's  a  necktie  party  we'll  be  havin'!"  added 
Denny  Colby. 

"Oh,  let  him  alone,  boys;  he  isn't  worth  the 
rope  it  would  take  to  hang  him;  upon  my  word 
I  pity  him,  he  is  so  contemptible  that  I  don't 
think  ho  can  enjoj"  his  own  company,"  drawled 
Phil  lazily. 

Sam  limped  away  unmolested,  cursing  wildly 
as  far  as  they  could  hear  him. 

Phil  turned  from  looking  after  him,  and  said 
to  the  men,  "It  makes  me  feel  pretty  sore,  but  I 
guess  that  he  feels  worse'n  I  do,"  he  added 
philosophically.  After  a  few  minutes  he  con 
tinued,  "You  might  as  well  knock  off  for  tb<? 


FLOATING   FANCIES.  211 

I'efit  of  the  day,  I  don't  suppose  he  will  give  me 
any  trouble  because  he  knows  that  I  have  the 
papers  to  prove  ray  right.  I'll  square  whatever 
wages  is  coming  to  you  as  soon  as  I  get  things  in 
good  shape." 

A  hearty  grasp  of  the  hand,  and  a  ready  ac- 
quiesence  sealed  the  compact. 

Phil  swung  himself  down  the  mountain  side 
in  a  much  more  joyous  mood  than  when 
ascending. 

He  walked  direct  to  Mollie's  house,  and  as 
before  she  opened  the  door ;  she  started  in  surprise 
and  anger;  he  did  not  wait  for  her  to  speak,  but 
said  in  a  determined  tone,  "You  asked  me  this 
morning  if  there  was  anything  that  I  wished,  and 
not  understanding  the  circumstances  I  said  no; 
I  have  since  learned  some  things  which  caused  me 
to  change  my  mind — Mollie,  would  you  condemn 
me  unheard?"  reaching  out  both  hands. 

She,  flushing  and  trembling,  stood  irresolute 
for  one  minute,  then  placed  her  hands  in  his. 

"No,  that  would  not  be  just;  but  why  did  you 
not  write?" 

"I  did  write  several  times,  but  could  get  no 
replj-  from  you." 

"I  wonder — "  she  commenced,  but  Phil  cut 
the  sentence  short. 

"Were  you  going  to  marry  Sam,  Mollie?" 

"What  an  idea!  That  conceited  thing!"  an 
swered  Mollie  indignantly. 

They  had  entered  the  little  parlor,  and  Phil 
caught  her  in  his  arms  and  said  quizzically, 
"What  about  me?" 

Just  what  Mollie  answered  I  had  best  not  re- 


212  FLOATING   FANCIES. 

peat,  but  it  seemed  to  be  perfectly  satisfactory, 
as  he  left  the  house  an  hour  later,  whistling  as 
happily  as  a  boy. 

Just  after  dark  Sam  hurried  into  town,  curs 
ing  his  lameness  and  Phil,  indiscriminate!}';  he 
wanted  to  keep  things  square  with  Mollie,  as  ho 
expressed  it. 

As  he  came  near  the  house  he  observed  that 
the  little  parlor  was  brilliantly  lighted ;  his  heart 
filled  with  exultation:  "I'll  bet  Mollie  is  expect 
ing  me!  Let  Phil  keep  his  old  claims;  the  girl 
is  worth  more  than  all  of  them ;  it  will  hurt  him 
most  to  lose  her,  too.  Of  course  it  was  all  a  lie 
about  our  going  to  be  married;  but  lean  get 
her  all  right,  you  bet  there  isn't  many  women  but 
that  I  could  get!"  with  a  ridiculous  air  of  im 
portance. 

He  knocked  confidently,  and  was  at  once 
ushered  into  the  midst  of  a  number  of  guests. 
Coming  as  he  did,  from  the  darkness,  the  glare 
of  the  lights  blinded  him ;  but  as  he  advanced 
into  the  room,  Cal  Wagner  said,  "We  were  wait 
ing  for  you,  sir.  Please  be  seated." 

Turning  to  the  group  near  the  center  of  the 
room,  he  continued,  "Reverend  sir,  this  is  the 
guest  we  were  expecting;  will  you  now  proceed 
with  the  ceremony." 

Looking  radiantly  happy,  Mollie  and  Phil 
took  their  places  in  front  of  the  minister,  and 
the  solemn  marriage  service  commenced. 

Sam  made  a  bolt  for  the  door;  but  Gal's  great 
hand  closed  over  his  shoulder  like  a  vise,  and  he 
was  compelled  to  stand  and  see  his  last  shred  of 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  213 

revenge  slip  away  from  him,  amid  the  happy 
smiles  of  those  around  him. 

Then  he  crept  out  into  the  darkness,  out  of 
the  ken  of  those  who  knew  him,  blaming  every 
body  but  himself,  yet  at  war  with  himself  and 
all  the  world,  because  he  had  not  succeeded  in 
ill-doing. 

Phil  said  to  his  wife:  "I  am  sorry  for  him;  I 
wish  he  had  been  content  to  be  my  friend ;  I  did 
like  Sam." 

Of  course  there  was  not  the  slightest  opposi 
tion  to  Phil's  assuming  control  of  his  own  prop 
erty,  but  his  conscience  troubled  him  because 
Sam  had  built  the  shafthouse:  "I  had  much 
rather  have  paid  him  for  it,"  he  remarked;  but 
when  later  he  learned  that  neither  lumber  nor 
labor  were  paid  for,  and  all  bought  upon  his 
credit,  he  had  no  more  regrets. 


214  FLOATING  FANCIES. 


A   TALE   OF  THE   X  RAT. 

CHRISTOPHER  HEMBOLD  had  a  mania  for  experi 
menting. 

He  had  tried  everything  from  hypnotism  to 
electricity,  -when  the  "X"  ray  was  first  talked 
about.  He  could  think  or  talk  of  nothing  else; 
he  perused  every  magazine  and  paper  with 
greedy  avidity  in  search  of  articles  concerning  it. 

"Christopher,  do  put  that  paper  down  and  eat 
your  breakfast,"  said  his  wife. 

Mrs.  Hembold  was  a  nervous  little  woman, 
and  it  annoyed  her  to  hear  the  newspaper  rattle, 
and  she  disliked  to  have  it  held  so  as  to  hide  her 
Christopher  from  view. 

"But,  Maria,  just  listen,  here's  more  about 
that  wonderful  discovery —  he  exclaimed 
excitedly. 

"Christopher  Hembold!  Eat  your  breakfast! 
I  care  much  more  that  the  steak  and  coffee  are 
getting  cold  than  I  do  for  that  nonsense." 

"You  have  no  sympathy,  Maria;  the  mysteries 
of  science  are  beyond  your  appreciation!"  he 
exclaimed,  as  he  folded  the  paper  in  dignified 
displeasure. 

"Appreciate  fiddlesticks!"  angrily  retorted 
Maria,  stirring  her  couee  vigorously. 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  215 

Said  Christopher,  the  next  morning  at  the 
breakfast  table : 

"Maria,  I  am  going  to  Abbeyville  on  business, 
and  shall  in  all  probability  be  detained  a  month." 

"What  business  have  you  in  Abbeyville?" 
asked  Maria  in  surprise. 

"It  is  business  of  a  private  nature,  which  you 
wouldn't  understand,"  answered  he  loftily. 

"Which  is  a  polite  way  of  telling  me  that  it  is 
none  of  my  business,"  retorted  Maria  in  a  huff. 

Christopher  left  the  house  in  dignified  anger; 
his  portly  figure  and  handsome  profile  the  ad 
miration  of  his  wrathful  wife.  The  fact  was,  he 
did  not  wish  to  talk;  he  had  determined  that  he 
would  investigate  the  "X"  ray  to  his  own  satis 
faction.  A  certain  idea  haunted  him  by  day, 
and  mingled  with  his  dreams  at  night;  it  thrust 
itself  between  him  and  the  long  columns  in  the 
ledger;  until,  with  a  finger  on  the  figures,  he 
would  fix  his  eyes  on  vacancy,  and  go  off  into  a 
deep  study. 

At  last  Mr.  Brown,  his  employer,  said  to  him : 

"What  is  the  matter  with  you  Christopher? 
Are  you  ill?" 

"No — yes' — not  very,"  answered  Christopher 
confusedly. 

"You  had  better  take  a  layoff  until  you  feel 
better,"  said  Brown;  adding  mentally,  "You  are 
of  no  use  here;  you'll  mix  those  accounts  until 
it  will  take  an  expert  a  week  to  straighten  them." 

Christopher  packed  his  grip  with  a  sigh  of 
satisfaction,  and  left  home  on  the  evening  train. 

Maria  gave  a  little  regretful  sigh.  "He  might 
have  kissed  mo;  he  didn't  even  say  good-by. " 


FLOATING  FANCIES. 

She  presently  began  thinking  how  preoccu 
pied  he  looked,  and  how  strange  he  had  acted. 

"I  do  wonder  if  he  was  in  trouble!  I  ought 
not  have  been  so  cross,  but  he  should  have  told 
me;  BO  there!"  After  a  minute  of  troubled 
thought,  she  added:  "Perhaps  he  didn't  want  to 
worry  me." 

Whenever  Christopher  was  present  she  must 
give  him  a  dig  as  often  as  the  opportunity 
occurred ;  but  no  sooner  was  he  away  than  all 
his  good  qualities  became  apparent. 

Instead  of  stopping  at  Abbeyville,  Christopher 
hastened  on  to  a  city  more  than  a  thousand  miles 
away.  "I'll  just  call  myself  John  Smith,  and  I 
shall  not  be  bothered  while  making  my  investi 
gations,"  said  he  complacently. 

The  next  morning  after  his  arrival  he  sought 
out  the  noted  Professor  Blank,  and  at  some 
length  explained  his  project;  in  conclusion  he 
s^.id: 

"You  understand  that  I  wish  to  be  catho- 
dographed  many  times;  the  working  of  the  brain 
has  always  been  a  tantalizing  puzzle  to  me. 
What  I  wish  to  search  out  is,  how  the  different 
emotions  affect  the  gray  matter;  for  instance,  it 
is  claimed  that  this  bump  is  combativeness;" 
placing  his  hand  on  the  region  indicated.  "It 
is  also  claimed  that  all  qualities,  whether  good 
or  bad,  are  capable  of  being  cultivated;  that  the 
bump  indicating  that  trait  or  quality  grows 
perceptibly  larger;  well,  then,  the  substance 
known  as  gray  matter  must  undergo  a  change; 
whenever  that  emotion  is  unduly  excited,  the 
gray  matter  must  quiver,  vibrato;  in  fact  change 


FLOATING  FANCIES.     .  217 

position.  Have  you  never  felt  as  though  your 
brain  must  burst  with  the  intensity  of  emotion? 
I  have;  and  am  eager  to  test  it  with  the  'X' 
ray."  He  paused  as  though  for  an  answer,  but 
receiving  none,  continued:  "Now  in  order  to 
test  this,  I  wish  to  subject  myself  to  every 
possible  emotion,  and  in  every  change  be  pho 
tographed." 

The  professor  smiled  incredulously. 

"How  are  you  to  obtain  these  changes  of 
mood?  such  emotions  usually  come  without  our 
choosing." 

"True!  Well,  I  shall  endeavor  to  create  the 
emotion  as  I  wish  it." 

The  professor  laughed  aloud.  "I  think  under 
such  conditions  that  the  emotion  would  be  alto 
gether  too  tame  to  have  a  visible  effect  on  the 
brain." 

Christopher  resented  the  laughter:  "Perhaps 
you  are  not  willing  to  assist  me  in  making  my 
experiments?"  he  questioned  angrily. 

"Oh,  yes;  perfectly  willing,"  was  the  smiling 
answer. 

"Now,  look  here!  I  wish  to  investigate  this 
carefully,  and  I'm  willing  and  able  to  pay  your 
price;  but  I'll  not  be  ridiculed'  sir,  I'm  no  boy, 
I'll  have  you  understand!" 

"No,  of  course  not,"  answered  the  professor 
soothingly,  he  thought  him  a  mild  lunatic; 
really  he  seemed  half  insane;  no  matter  what 
reply  the  professor  made,  ho  grew  more  wroth, 
until  he,  out  of  all  patience,  said  angrily : 
"What  is  the  matter  with  you?  You  act  like  a 
maniac!" 


218  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

"Quick!  Quick!  Photograph  me!"  cried 
Christopher,  with  livid  lips. 

"Well,  well!"  exclaimed  the  professor  in  as 
tonishment,  as  he  hastily  complied  with  the 
request;  after  which  Christopher  sank  back,  pale 
and  trembling. 

The  professor  looked  at  him  admiringly: 
"How  did  you  accomplish  it?" 

"Oh,  I  don't  know;  I  just  let  -go  of  the 
strings;"  smiling  faintly. 

Thus  he  went  through  the  whole  scale  of 
emotions;  he  was  taken  while  under  the  influence 
of  anaesthetics;  in  a  placid  mood ;  in  a  moment 
of  most  uproarious  hilarity ;  in  the  depths  of 
despondency;  in  languishing  amorousness;  in 
fact,  in  all  conceivable  moods  of  the  human 
mind.  He  seemed  to  possess  the  strange  faculty 
of  producing  any  desired  emotion  at  will. 

After  he  had  exhausted  all  moods,  he  one  day 
stood  gazing  meditatively,  and  rather  sadly  at 
the  plates. 

"Are  you  not  satisfied?"  asked  the  professor. 

Christopher  sighed  deeply:  "No,  I  cannot  say 
that  I  am ;  it  is  certainly  shown  that  there  is  a 
change,  the  exact  nature  of  which  is  by  no 
means  clearly  defined.  Some  future  discovery 
will,  I  am  sure,  enable  the  scientist  to  see  the 
action  of  the  brain  as  plainly  as  we  now  know 
the  action  of  the  heart." 

He  nervously  ran  his  fingers  through  his  hair 
while  speaking;  he  withdrew  his  hand  with  an 
exclamation  of  horror:  it  was  covered  with  hairs 
and  a  cloud  of  the  same  enveloped  him. 

"Heaven!  Is  all  my  hair  falling  out?"  he 
cried  in  dismay. 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  219 

The  professor  calmly  observed:  "I  have 
noticed  it  for  some  time;  when  you  first  came 
your  mustache  and  eyebrows  were  very  thick 
and  long,  but  have  been  gradually  thinning,  I 
thought  several  times  that  I  would  speak  of  it, 
but  we  have  had  so  much  else  to  talk  about,  and 
the  most  of  your  moods  have  been  so  peculiar — •" 
he  smiled  as  he  paused. 

"Oh,  it's  all  right  for  you  to  laugh!  You 
wouldn't  if  you  were  in  my  shoes!  Whatever 
will  Maria  say  ?" 

He  stood  ruefully  looking  at  his  reflection  in 
the  mirror.  "I  look  like  a  kid!"  said  he  scorn 
fully.  "I  have  been  so  busy  with  this  con 
founded  foolishness  that  I  did  not  think  of 
looking  in  a  glass.  Pshaw !  I'm  going  to  drop 
this  nonsense  and  go  home ;  1  know  that  my  wife 
is  worried  about  mo  before  this  time.  I  haven't 
written  to  her  since  I  came  here.  I  didn't  want 
her  to  know  what  I  was  doing." 

"You  ought  to  have  told  her,  though,"  said 
the  professor. 

"You  don't  know  Maria!"  said  Christopher 
sadly.  "Confound  it!  How  my  head  aches! 
Now  that  I  take  time  to  think  of  it,  I  know  that 
it  has  ached  for  a  week." 

The  following  morning  Christopher  was  ver3r 
ill,  and  was  not  able  to  leave  his  room  for  weeks. 
When  at  last  he  arose,  he  giddily  crossed  the 
room  to  the  mirror,  and  looked  at  himself;  he 
sank  into  a  chair  with  a  groan;  not  <i  vestige  of 
hair  remained  on  head  or  face. 

He  covered  his  long,  leathery  face  with  his 
hands,  and  cried  aloud:  "I  look  like  a  great 


220  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

big  sole-leather  baby!  Whatever  will  Maria 
say!  I'll  never  tell  her  that  it  is  the  effect  of 
that  confounded  "X"  ray;  if  I  did  I  should 
never  hear  the  last  of  it;  I've  been  sick,  lam 
sick — sick  of  the  whole  business." 

Meanwhile  at  home,  Maria  had  at  first  re 
proached  herself  with  her  irritability,  and  fin 
ished  by  writing  Christopher  a  loving,  and  peni 
tent  little  note,  which  she  sent  to  Abbeyville. 
Of  course  she  received  no  reply. 

"He  must  have  been  very  angry,"  she  sob- 
bingly  exclaimed. 

She  wrote  again,  a  still  more  penitent  and 
pleading  letter;  this  not  being  answered,  she 
bcame  very  indignant. 

"If  he  wants  to  bo  so  awfully  huffy,  let  him!" 
she  said  wrathfully ;  but  when  a  whole  month 
passed,  and  no  tidings  came  as  to  his  where 
abouts,  she  became  alarmed,  and  began  to  insti 
tute  cautious  inquiries. 

Of  course,  all  search  proved  unavailing,  and 
Maria  wept  and  mourned  her  Christopher  as 
dead. 

Nearly  five  months  from  the  day  he  left  his 
home,  Christopher  wearily  climbed  the  front 
steps  of  his  own  residence,  and  rang  the  bell. 
His  clothing  hung  loosely  on  his  gaunt  limbs; 
his  long,  thin  face  was  the  color  of  leather;  his 
eyes,  devoid  of  lashes,  and  without  eyebrows, 
looked  perfectly  lifeless. 

Hannah,  an  old  servant  in  the  family,  opened 
the  door. 

'"If  you  want  food  go  to  the  rear  door, "  she 
cried  sharply,  as  she  shut  him  out  unceremoni 
ously. 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  221 

He  sat  down  on  the  upper  step,  pale  and 
trembling. 

"What  does  Hannah  mean  by  insulting  me 
thus?  Can  it  be  that  Maria  is  so  angry  that  she 
has  ordered  the  servants  torefuse  me  admittance  ?" 

He  mopped  his  forehead  "with  his  handker 
chief,  although  the  air  was  frosty  and  nipping. 
Presently  he  muttered  to  himself:  I'll  just  stay 
around  until  Maria  comes  out,  then  I'll  persuade 
her  to  forgive  me.  I've  acted  the  fool,  that's 
sure." 

He  walked  up  and  down  the  street,  and  hung 
around  corners,  until  the  whole  neighborhood 
were  watching  him. 

About  three  in  the  afternoon,  Maria  came  out 
of  the  house  dressed  in  the  deepest  of  mourning. 

"I  wonder  who  is  dead;  must  be  her  father!" 
he  shambled  up  to  her,  and  laid  his  hand  on  her 
arm.  "Ma — "he  began;  she  gave  a  frightened 
scream,  and  started  to  run;  he  clutched  her 
more  frantically,  and  cried  wildly:  "Listen  to 
me!  you  shall  listen  to  me!" 

She  screamed  again  at  the  top  of  her  voice : 
"Help!  Murder!  Police!" 

A  gentleman  coming  toward  them,  rushed  up, 
and  gave  Christopher  a  stunning  blow;  Maria 
tore  herself  loose  at  the  expense  of  much  crape ; 
ran  back  into  the  house,  and  locked  the  door 
after  herself. 

Christopher  arose  from  the  sidewalk  and 
shuffled  off  down  the  street,  muttering  maledic 
tions  as  he  went.  "It's  all  a  conspiracy!  She 
has  got  another  lover,  and  thinks  to  get  rid  of 
me;  she'll  find  that  she  can't  do  it  BO  easily. 


222  FLOATING   FANCIES. 

I'll  wait  until  dark,  and  then  let  myself  in  -with 
my  latchkey;  we'll  see  whether  I  am  master 
in  my  own  house  or  not." 

He  paced  the  street  angrily  until  nightfall; 
stationing  himself  opposite,  he  then  watched  the 
house  until  all  was  dark  and  silent.  Still  another 
hour  he  waited:  "I'll  be  sure  that  the  servants 
are  asleep,  evidently  they  have  orders  to  put  me 
out,  or  Hannah  would  not  have  ordered  me  off 
as  she  did.  I'll  show  them  that  they  will  not 
get  the  best  of  Christopher  Hembold  yet." 

About  eleven  o'clock  he  cautiously  crept  up 
the  steps,  and  as  cautiously  let  himself  in;  just 
within  he  removed  his  boots;  then  carefully 
groped  his  way  to  Maria's  room.  Her  door  was 
unlocked,  and  by  the  dim  light  of  the  night 
lamp  he  saw  her  round  white  arm  thrown  above 
her  head,  thus  framing  her  delicate  face;  the 
lace  on  her  night  robe  rising  and  falling  with 
every  breath. 

A  rush  of  love  and  tenderness  came  over  him; 
this  was  his  Maria — the  dainty  bride  whom  he 
had  transplanted  from  her  father's  home;  he 
knelt  beside  the  bed,  enfolding  her  in  his  arms, 
and  pressed  a  passionate  kiss  upon  her  half- 
parted  lips.  She  opened  wide  her  affrighted 
eyes;  she  struggled  wildly,  letting  out  one  pierc 
ing  shriek,  then  fainted.  The  half-clad  servants 
came  running  into  the  room,  finding  Christo 
pher  on  his  knees  beside  the  bed,  chafing 
Maria's  hands,  kissing  her  pale  face,  and  fondly 
calling  her:  "My  love!  My  little  one!" 

Thomas,  the  coachman,  seized  him  by  the 
shoulders;  Maria  regaining  ooDsoiousuess,  be- 


FLOATING   FANCIES.  223 

gan  screaming  again  ;  Hannah  added  to  the  con 
fusion  by  crying  excitedly,  "ihrow  hi;n  out! 
Call  the  police!  The  man  is  crazy!"  Thomas 
obeyed  the  first  command;  he  dragged  Christo 
pher  down  the  stairs,  opened  the  door,  and 
kicked  him  out,  and  down  the  steps. 

He  lay  there  a  few  minutes,  completely  be 
wildered.  Just  as  he  was  struggling  to  his  feet,  a 
policeman  came  along,  and  seeing  his  bewildered 
condition,  his  shoeless  feet,  and  battered  appear 
ance,  laid  his  hand  roughly  on  his  shoulder,  and 
said  to  him:  "What  are  you  doing  here?" 

"This  is  my  home.  I  am  Christopher  Hem- 
bold?"  answered  he. 

The  policeman  laughed:  "Oh,  come  off!  This 
is  the  home  of  the  Widow  Hembold,  all  right; 
but  you  look  about  as  much  like  the  defunct 
Christopher  as  a  yellow  cur  resembles  a  King 
Charles  spaniel." 

Christopher  tried  to  jerk  away.  "Let  me 
alone!"  he  cried  angrily. 

"WTill  I?"  said  the  burly  policeman.  "Where 
are  your  boots?"  continued  he. 

"In  the  house,  if  it  is  any  of  your  business, 
was  the  surly  reply. 

The  tumult  within  the  house  still  continued; 
lights  were  carried  from  room  to  room,  and 
flashed  weirdly  up  and  down  the  stairs.  Thomas 
came  hurriedly  out  of  the  door,  kicking  Chris 
topher's  boots  into  the  street  as  ho  ran  down 
the  steps. 

"Hello!"  says  the  policeman:  "What's  the 
matter  in  there?" 

"Some  burglar,  or  lunatic  let  himself  into  the 


224  FLOATING   FANCIES. 

house,  and  into  Mrs.  Hembold's  room;  and  she's 
gone  into  hysterics;  I'm  going  after  Dr.  Phil- 
brick." 

"Let  me  go!  Let  go  of  me!  I'm  going  into 
the  house — to  my  wife!"  said  Christopher, 
struggling  wildly. 

"Tou  are  going  to  the  station,  and  if  you 
don't  go  decently,  I'll  call  the  patrol;"  and  call 
the  patrol  he  did. 

Christopher  fought  like  a  fury,  but  in  spite  of 
it  he  was  loaded  into  the  wagon  between  two 
burly  promoters  of  the  peace  and  carried  to  the 
station,  where  he  raved  like  a  madman  all  night. 
The  next  morning  they  had  him  up  for  drunk 
and  disorderly.  In  vain  he  protested  that  he 
had  not  touched  liquor,  and  declared  that  his 
name  was  Christopher  Hembold.  No  one  be 
lieved  him,  so  he  got  fifteen  days,  and  the  next 
morning  saw  him  marched  out  with  the  chain 
gang  to  work  on  the  street.  He  had  quieted 
down  by  this  time,  and  had  determined  what  to 
do;  he  watched  his  opportunity  until  the  over 
seer's  back  was  turned  toward  him;  all  the  rest 
of  the  gang  except  his  mate  also  faced  the  oppo 
site  way.  He  slipped  a  dollar  into  his  mate's 
willing  palm.  "You  will  not  see  me  leave;  look 
the  other  way."  He  obeyed,  and  Christopher 
hurried  down  a  side  street,  walked  swiftly 
through  a  front  gate  into  a  private  yard,  out 
through  a  rear  gate  into  an  alley,  and  was  lost  to 
the  chain  gang. 

He  went  direct  to  his  lawyers.  Mr.  Hurd,  the 
senior  member  of  the  firm,  was  seated  at  his  desk 
when  Christopher  entered;  he  scarcely  looked 
up  at  his  salutation:  "Good-morning  Mr.  Hurd." 


FLOATING   FANCIES.  225 

The  lawyer  barely  nodded  his  head,  and  con 
tinued  his  writing;  after  several  minutes,  observ 
ing  Christopher  still  standing:  "Well,  sir! 
Have  you  business  with  me?"  evidently  not  fa 
vorably  impressed  by  his  visitor's  appearance. 

"Don't  you  know  me,  Mr.  Hurd?" 

The  lawyer  looked  him  over  in  cynical  sur 
prise:  "Can't  say  that  I  ever  saw  you  before." 

"You  ought  to  know  Christopher  Hembold?" 
interrogatively. 

"Yes,  sir;  I  knew  him  well;  good  fellow,  but 
a  little  cracked  in  the  upper  story." 

He  returned  to  his  writing,  evidently  consider 
ing  the  matter  disposed  of;  after  a  long  time 
Christopher,  still  smarting  from  Mr.  Kurd's  con 
temptuous  remark,  said:  "Well?"  in  a  question 
ing  tone. 

Mr.  Hurd  looked  up  in  displeasure.  "Please 
state  your  business;  my  time  is  limited,"  he 
said. 

Christopher  flushed  a  sickly  green  over  all  his 
yellow  face.  "Mr.  Hurd,  I  came  to  you  to  have 
you  intercede  for  me  with  my  wife;  she  will  not 
allow  mo  to  speak  to  her,  and  caused  the  servants 
to  throw  me  out  of  the  house." 

The  lawyer  held  up  his  hand:  "First,  if  you 
wish  me  to  take  your  case,  I  must  receive  a  re 
tainer;  I  do  business  in  no  other  way." 

Christopher  opened  his  lashless  eyes  in  a 
grotesque  stare.  "Sir!  You  have  all  of  my 
business  in  your  hands,  and  have  had  it  for 
years,"  answered  he  angrily. 

Mr.  Hurd  turned  around  in  his  office  char-, 
and  gave  his  caller  an  angry  look;  he  touched 


226  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

the  button  at  his  side ;  a  colored  servant  came 
instantly. 

"James,  show  this  man  out."  Turning  to 
Christopher  he  said : 

"I  have  no  time  to  be  bothered  with  such  non 
sense.  The  idea  of  your  trying  to  palm  yourself 
off  for  Christopher  Hembold!"  he  cried,  with 
withering  contempt. 

Christopher  stalked  out  of  the  office  in  a  rage. 
He  went  direct  to  his  room  at  the  hotel;  he 
threw  himself  into  a  chair,  and  buried  his  face 
in  his  hands;  his  attitude  expressed  the  utmost 
dejection;  after  a  time  he  arose  and  stood  before 
the  mirror : 

"Is  it  possible  that  Maria  did  not  know  me?" 
he  looked  at  himself  scornfully:  "Who  would 
know  you?  You  old,  yellow-faced,  putty  baby, 
you!"  he  apostrophized,  shaking  his  fist  at  his 
reflection.  "Serves  you  right;  serves  you  right, 
you  old  idiot!  Fool  with  the  'X'  ray,  will  you, 
tiding  to  find  out  if  you  do  know  any  thing?  I  can 
tell  you  that  you  are  a  fool.  Fool!  fool!"  he 
cried  tragically. 

After  a  time  he  calmed  down,  and  taking  out 
his  purse  counted  the  contents. 

There  is  something  akin  to  the  ridiculous  in 
the  near  association  of  pathos  and  money ;  they 
are  very  near  neighbors,  however.  Christopher 
sighed  deeply:  "This  is  all  I  have  left,  and — 
when  my  lawyer  will  not  acknowledge  my  iden 
tity,  what  am  I  to  do?"  He  drummed  impati 
ently  upon  the  table  with  his  fingers;  finally  he 
started  up  excitedly:  "Of  course!  Good  Lord! 
why  didn't  I  think  of  that!" 


FLOATING   FANCIES.  227 

He  hauled  his  gripsack  into  the  middle  of  the 
room;  shirts  and  socks  flew  right  and  left,  until 
he  found  the  cathodographs,  also  a  photograph 
taken  just  previous  to  his  experimenting;  he 
took  them  out,  and  placed  them  in  a  row ;  taking 
the  photograph,  he  walked  to  the  mirror  and 
compared  it  with  the  reflection. 

"I  don't  wonder  that  no  one  knew  you,  you 
old  scarecrow,  you!"  glaring  angrily  at  his 
double. 

The  next  morning  he  again  sought  Mr.  Hurd  ; 
the  lawyer  turned  angrily  upon  his  entrance:  "I 
do  not  wish  to  be  bothered,  sir,"  motioning 
toward  the  door. 

Christopher  was  not  to  be  put  off  in  this  man 
ner;  he  walked  up  to  the  desk,  and  laid  down 
the  pictures  he  had  brought. 

"Will  you  be  kind  enough  to  look  at  these?" 
asked  Christopher  in  a  quivering  voice. 

Mr.  Hurd  glanced  at  them  impatiently : 
"Well!  What  of  them?" 

"You  know  this  one  as  representing  Christo 
pher  Hembold?"  he  asked  eagerly,  with  his 
finger  on  the  photograph  spoken  of. 

"Yes.  of  course;  what  of  that?  it  does  not 
resemble  you,"  curtly. 

"But  I  sat  for  every  one  of  those  pictures," 
despondently;  the  hope  which  he  had  cherished 
dying  within  his  heart. 

"Oh,  stuff,  nonsense!"  scornfully  ejaculated 
Mr.  Hurd.  Christopher's  head  fell  forward  on 
his  breast;  he  looked  the  picture  of  despair. 
His  clothing  hung  loosely  upon  his  long,  gaunt 
limbs;  his  hands,  much  too  large  for  the  bony 


228  FLOATING   FANCIES. 

wrists,  dropped  nervelessly  at  his  side;  his 
lifeless  eyes,  his  hollow  cheeks,  looked  as  though 
the  great  Conqueror  had  already  claimed  him, 
while  still  permitting  him  to  roam  the  earth 
for  some  inscrutable  purpose. 

Mr.  Hurd,  having  little  sentiment,  thought 
only  of  his  annoyance.  "Will  you  please  remove 
that  litter  from  the  desk,"  he  said. 

Christopher  made  one  more  appeal :  "Will  you 
write  to  Professor  Blank,  and  find  whether 
these  pictures  were  taken  from  my  sittings?"  he 
asked  supplicatingly. 

"I  will  not  be  bothered  with  it,  I  tell  you; 
write  for  yourself,"  he  answered  roughly. 

"I  will, "  said  Christopher,  with  vexed  deci 
sion,  then  occurred  to  him  the  thought;  Pro 
fessor  Blank  knew  him  as  Smith  only.  He 
gathered  the  photographs  up  hastily,  and  rushed 
out  of  the  house.  "I've  a  notion  to  drown  my 
fool  self !  Oh,  what  shall  I  do!  Was  ever  any 
one  in  such  a  predicament!"  he  cried  aloud. 
Everyone  turned  to  look  at  him  as  he  ran  past 
them. 

"Hello,  Smith!  Where  are  you  going  in  such 
a  rush?  What  is  the  matter  with  you?"  cried  a 
familiar  voice  in  his  very  ear. 

Christopher  gave  a  great  shout;  then  began  to 
cry  like  a  veritable  baby,  as  he  grasped  the  pro 
fessor's  hands.  "I  was  going  to  drown  mj-self; 
you  have  saved  my  life,"  and  he  fairy  blubbered. 

"Smith,  you  are  as  crazy  as  you  are  bald- 
headed,"  laughingly  said  the  professor. 

"Don't  call  me  Smith!  My  name  is  Christo 
pher  Hembold,"  he  said  excitedly. 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  229 

"I  only  know  that  you  called  yourself  Smith." 

"Yes;  it's  surprising  what  a  fool  a  man  can 
make  of  himself,"  dejectedly. 

He  took  the  photographs  from  his  pocket,  and 
said  entreatingly :  "Say,  professor,  do  go  with 
me  to  my  lawyer,  and  tell  him  that  you  took 
these  with  the  'X'  ray,  and  don't  say  anything 
about  Smith;"  this  last  in  a  tone  of  intense 
disgust. 

They  were  just  entering  a  park,  and  seated 
themselves  on  a  bench,  while  Christopher  told 
the  whole  story.  The  professor  laughed,  even 
as  he  said:  "I'm  sorry  for  you,  and  will  help 
you  all  I  can." 

Once  more  Christopher  climbed  the  stairs  to 
the  lawyer's  office.  Mr.  Hurd  arose  to  his  feet 
wrathfully.  "You  are  the  most  persistent 
annoyance  that  I  ever  met " 

Christopher  interrupted  him  :  "Mr.  Hurd, 
allow  me  to  introduce  to  you  the  eminent  Pro 
fessor  Blank. " 

The  lawyer  jerked  his  head  slightly,  attaching 
no  importance  to  the  name.  The  Professor 
bowed  courteously,  at  the  same  time  handing 
him  his  card. 

As  Mr.  Hurd  glanced  at  the  bit  of  pasteboard, 
his  manner  underwent  a  great  change:  "Please 
be  seated,"  said  he  urbanely. 

Professor  Blank  bowed  again:  "This  gentle 
man  requested  me  to  accompany  him  to  your 
office,  to  testify  that  I  took  these  cathodographs 
of  him  with  the  'X'ray.  This  represents  him  as 
he  appeared  when  I  first  saw  him,"  laying  the 
photograph  on  the  desk :  "After  having  the  last 


230  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

of  the  cathodographs  taken  he  was  very  ill  for  a 
long  time;  his  hair  had  nearly  all  fallen  before 
his  illness,  and  during  that  illness  he  became 
emaciated  as  you  see  him." 

Mr.  Hurd  stood  gazing  from  Christopher  to 
the  photograph,  and  back  again  in  amazement. 

"But  what  took  his  hair  off?" 

"Oh,  the  'X'  ray;  it  sometimes  has  that 
effect,"  said  the  professor  calmly. 

Mr.  Hurd  turned  to  Christopher:  "You  don't 
mean  to  tell  me — "  he  paused  eloquently. 

"Yes,  I  was  experimenting  with  the  'X'  ray — 
having  my  brain  cathodographed,"  he  answered 
humbly. 

Maria  had  entered  unperceived :  "You  mean 
that  you  had  your  skull  pictured;  you  haven't 
any  brain,  Christopher;  the  'X'  ray  makes  but  a 
slight  shadow  of  soft  substances,  and  none  of  a 
vacuum,"  said  she  sweetly. 

Said  Christopher,  in  an  aside  to  the  professor : 

"I  told  you  that  you  didn't  know  my  Maria! 
My!  Won't  I  catch  it,  though!" 


FLOATING  FANCIES. 


AN  AVERTED   TRAGEDY. 

MERNA  WOOD  stood  leaning  against  the  jamb 
in  the  open  doorway. 

The  morning-glory  vines  made  a  very  effective 
draping  for  a  very  pretty  picture;  the  attitude 
was  the  acme  of  indolence,  which  an  indescriba 
ble  expression  of  alertness  belied. 

Ned  Glover  was  standing  below,  his  face  just 
on  a  level  with  hers;  he  was  looking  at  her 
laughingly — in  fact  he  was  nearly  always  laugh 
ing — and  Merna  was  never  certain  that  he  meant 
one-half  that  he  was  saying,  which  at  this  mo 
ment  was:  "Yes;  lam  going  to  buy  a  nice  little 
home,  and  I  want  a  housekeeper;  will  you 
come?" 

Merna  tossed  her  head  saucily :  "I  do  not  in 
tend  to  go  out  to  service  this  summer,"  she 
replied. 

"If  I  must  do  so,  I  will  hire  some  one  to  do 
the  work,  and  have  my  wife  oversee  it.  Will  you 
come  as  my  wife,  Merna?" 

Merna  flushed  rosily,  she  was  not  yet  sure  that 
he  was  in  earnest,  so  she  replied  lightly,  "Oh, 
you  are  just  funning,  as  the  children  say." 

He  tried  to  draw  his  face  into  lines  of  serious 
ness,  but  his  bright  blue  eyes  would  twinkle,  he 
was  so  jolly  that  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  as 
sume  an  expression  of  severe  gravity. 


232  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

He  caught  hor  face  in  both  his  large  palms, 
and  kissed  her  fondly:  "Say  yes!  Say  yes,  I 
tell  you!"  he  whispered  forcefully. 

"Yes!  Yes!  Let  me  go,  Ned,  mother  is 
looking!" 

"Well,  mother  has  a  perfect  right  to  look;  we 
do  not  care!"  his  face  one  broad  laugh. 

Ned  was  from  this  time — of  course — a  privi 
leged  visitor;  always  pleasant,  and  in  a  manner 
affectionate,  yet  no  more  loverlike  than  before 
their  engagement.  The  tender  nonsense  that 
helps  to  make  courtship  so  sweet;  the  airs  of 
possession  on  one  side,  and  of  loving  subjection 
on  the  other  the  happy  planning  by  both  for  the 
future,  seemed  to  be  entirely  forgotten. 

Love  is  a  magician  who  fits  the  eyes  with 
a  deceptive  lens;  but  not  even  through  love's 
magnifying  could  Merna  find  tangible  ground 
for  rosy  dreams;  she  was  not  exactly  unhappy, 
neither  was  she  quite  satisfied.  She  took  herself 
to  task  for  being  so  foolish —  just  because  of  the 
lack  of  definite  words — but  he  seemed  to  have 
forgotten  the  engagement  altogether,  as  he  made 
not  the  slightest  allusion  to  it.  It  made 
Merna's  face  burn  whenever  she  thought  of 
it:  "I  do  wonder  if  he  was  just  making  game 
of  me,  trying  to  ascertain  what  answer  I 
would  give  him!  Oh,  I  wish  that  I  had  have 
said  no — Oh,  I  do  not  know  what  I  do  wish!" 
angry  tears  filling  her  eyes  as  she  thought. 

Ned  came  as  usual  one  evening,  and  remained 
until  very  late;  once,  as  she  was  passing  him, 
she  rested  her  hand  upon  the  table,  and  leaned 
toward  him  in  the  act  of  speaking;  he  covered 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  233 

the  hand  with  his  warm  palm,  and  his  Breath 
swept  her  cheek  as  he  whispered:  "I  wish  that 
I  had  you  all  to  myself  in  a  nice  little  home  of 
our  own!" 

Her  radiant  eyes  answered  him,  and  she  bent 
her  head  until  her  cheek  touched  his  caressing 
lips. 

As  he  was  bidding  her  good-night,  he  caught 
her  in  his  arms,  saying  over  and  over  again,  "I 
do  love  you,  Merna !  You  are  the  sweetest  little 
woman  on  the  face  of  the  earth!" 

Her  face  was  filled  with  happiness,  and  her 
eyes  glowed  with  tender  light ;  but  she  laughingly 
put  her  handover  his  lips:  "I  imagine  that  is 
what  you  call  'taffy'!" 

He  held  her  closely  for  a  moment,  his  voice 
growing  low  and  earnest:  "Little  one,  I  mean 
every  word  that  I  say !  I  do  love  you — and  if 
only  circumstances — well,  never  mind  that  talk, 
but  believe  that  I  truly  love  you!" 

She  sat  in  the  moonlight  thinking  for  a  long 
time  after  he  left;  what  was  there  in  that  closing 
speech  which  sent  a  chill  over  her?  Only  this — 
love  is  said  to  be  blind — as  to  worldly  judgment 
this  is  true;  but  love's  intuition  of  love  grows 
keen  with  the  development  of  the  passion.  She 
felt  that  she  ought  to  be  happj',  but  she  was  not 
— that  is — not  so  very  happy;  little  thrilling 
thoughts  ran  through  her  mind  deliciously,  then 
a  cold  wave  of  doubt,  casting  a  chill  over  her 
spirits.  A  woman  is  flattered  and  pleased  if  a 
man  makes  her  a  sharer  of  his  secrets,  whether 
of  business  or  otherwise;  she  thus  knows  that  he 
fully  trusts  her  love  and  judgment,  and  she  holds 


£34  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

it  a  sacred  charge.  She  thought  uneasily  that 
she  could  have  no  fond  anticipations  with  any 
certainty  of  their  proving  a  reality.  Whatever 
she  built  must  be  the  very  airiest  kind  of  an  air 
castle,  its  only  foundation  an  engagement  which 
seemed  like  a  burlesque.  Vague  allusions,  or 
even  words  of  endearment  do  not  form  a  very 
tangible  ground  upon  which  to  build. 

A  restless  sigh  escaped  her  lips:  "I  wish — 
The   unfinished   sentence     ended    with    another 
sigh. 

The  next  evening  she  waited  for  Ned  in  a  state 
of  impatient  restlessness,  she  had  determined  to 
have  a  nice  long  talk  with  him,  although  she  was 
not  in  anywise  certain  as  to  what  she  would  say ; 
she  thought  she  would  lead  him  to  talk  of 
the  future,  and  the  home  of  which  he  had 
spoken;  she  wondered  if  he  would  talk  of  it 
franklj',  or  would  he  evade  her  questions  as  he 
so  often  had  done,  as  though  he  did  not  compre 
hend  her  remark. 

She  watched  the  clock  anxiously;  she  walked 
down  the  path  to  the  gate  a  dozen  times;  she 
took  up  her  embroidery,  set  a  half-dozen 
stitches,  and  laid  it  down  in  disgust;  she  took  a 
book  instead,  turned  a  page  or  two  without  com 
prehending  a  word  and  tossed  it  aside  with  an 
exclamation  of  impatience,  to  restlessly  drum  on 
the  window. 

"Merna,  what  ails  you?"  asked  her"  mother 
querulously. 

"Oh,  my  head  aches,"  was  the  evasive  reply. 

"You  had  best  go  to  bed;  you  make  me  nerv 
ous,  fidgeting  around  so!" 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  235 

"It  is  too  early  to  go  to  bed!  I'll  go  out  in 
the  air  a  little  while — perhaps  that  will  help  my 
head,"  answered  Merna. 

"Merna  Wood,  you  have  been  down  to  that  gate 
about  a  dozen  times;  why  don't  you  be  honest, 
and  say  that  you  are  looking  for  Ned!"  half  in 
derision,  and  a  trifle  crossly,  retorted  her  mother. 

Merna  answered  with  mock  humility:  "Yes'm, 
I'll  confess,  if  you  will  not  be  cross.  Oh, 
Mamsy,  I  wish  he  would  come;  there  is  some 
thing  I  wish  to  say  to  him!"  she  kneeled  down 
with  her  head  on  her  mother's  knee,  like  a  little 
child. 

Her  mother  replied  laughingly:  "It  appears 
to  me  that  you  do  usually  have  something  to  say 
to  him,"  but  her  hand  wandered  caressingly 
through  the  soft,  bright  hair;  thus  evidencing 
her  sympathy. 

He  did  not  come  that  night  nor  the  next,  and 
for  three  almost  unending  months  Merna  neither 
heard  from  nor  of  him ;  then  incidentally,  she 
heard  that  he  was  gone,  but  where  her  informant 
did  not  know. 

Gone  without  so  much  as  a  word  to  her! 

She  shut  her  grief  within  her  heart  and  went 
about  her  duties  but  with  the  subtle  essence  of 
hope  and  faith  taken  out  of  her  life — she  thought 
forever — she  had  little  idea  how  elastic  is  hope; 
faith  is  more  ethereal,  hope  has  tough  fibre. 

When  her  mother  would  have  sympathized 
with  her,  she  made  light  of  it:  "I  don't  care! 
If  he  wants  to  stay  away,  he  can;  don't  you  fret 
about  me,  mamsy!"  But  mamsy  was  not  in  the 
least  deceived. 


936  FLOATING   FANCIES. 

A  year  swept  by,  and  Merna  had  become  Ies8 
restless,  more  submissive  to  that  which  she 
deemed  the  inevitable;  it  is  a  mercy  that  time 
casts  so  tender  a  haze  over  all  things. 

Ned  had  written  no  letter  to  her;  at  first  she 
grieved,  but  latterly  she  had  grown  indignant. 

"Why  do  you  not  accept  other  company?" 
said  her  mother. 

"Oh,  I  drn't  care  for  them;  they  are  not  nice, 
mamsy. " 

"You  are  a  very  foolish  little  girl  to  waste 
your  affections  upon  one  who  cares  so  little," 
said  her  mother. 

"Now,  mamsy,  I  am  not  wasting  a  particle  of 
anything.  As  for  Ned  Glover,  I  hate  him!" 

Her  mother  laughed,  but  said  no  more,  trust 
ing  to  time  to  effect  a  cure. 

It  was  a  lovely  evening  in  June;  the  wind 
softly  fluttered  the  thin  curtains  at  the  open 
window  bringing  in  the  odor  of  the  roses  which 
grew  just  outside.  Merna  sat  in  a  low  rocker 
just  within,  her  arms  thrown  above  her  head, 
her  book  lying  unheeded  upon  her  lap;  she  was 
so  absorbed  in  reverie  that  she  heard  no  sound, 
and  a  sudden  darkening  of  the  window  startled 
her. 

Resting  his  arms  on  the  window  ledge,  Ned 
stood  regarding  her  quizzically :  "Are  you  too 
sleepy  to  say  'how  do  you  do?'  How  I  do  wish 
for  a  kodak!"  precisely  as  though  he  had  not 
been  gone  a  day. 

Merna  started  up  with  a  subdued  exclamation, 
and  before  she  realized  it  she  was  smiling  up 
into  his  laughing  face. 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  237 

How  often  she  had  thought  of  this  meeting — 
if  he  should  return — and  pictured  to  herself  the 
cool,  indifferent  air  with  which  she  would  greet 
him ;  instead,  she  was  laughing  and  chatting  as 
merrily  as  though  there  had  been  no  break  in 
their  intercourse. 

He  resumed  precisely  his  former  position ;  he 
made  just  the  same  vague,  intangible  allusions, 
without  one  word  upon  which  to  place  a  hope 
securely.  Merna  seemed  plastic  in  his  hands — 
and  what  was  there  to  resist,  or  to  resent? 
Nothing — perhaps;  yet  Merna  lost  her  healthful 
calm,  and  grew  restless  and  irritable;  one  can 
not  successfully  resist  the  intangible,  or  do 
battle  with  the  wind.  His  alternate  tenderness, 
and  good-natured  indifference  filled  her  with 
restless  longing;  she  wished  that  he  would  be 
more  explicit,  or  go  awajr  and  leave  her  alone ; 
she  thought  resentfully  that  it  was  unjust  that 
because  of  her  sex  she  must  utter  no  word  to 
further  her  own  happiness;  and  because  custom 
ordered  it,  she  must  take  the  crumbs  offered  to 
her,  or  go  altogether  hungry ;  she  must  have  no 
voice  in  shaping  her  future  beyond  an  assent  or 
denial.  Oh,  yes;  to  be  sure!  There  are  a 
thousand  ways  in  which  a  woman  may  signify 
her  preference,  but  it  would  be  very  shocking  if 
she  should  put  it  into  words,  unless  the  man 
asked  her  to  do  so !  It  looks  for  all  the  world 
like  putting  a  premium  upon  intrigue. 

Her  girlish  friends  exchanging  confidences, 
rallied  her  about  her  beau:  "Oh,  Merna,  when 
are  you  going  to  be  married?" 

"Just  as  soon  as  I  can  find  a  man  who  will 


238  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

marry  me,"  retorted  she,  but  she  flushed  pain 
fully. 

"Oh  don't  cheat!     Tell  us  all  about  it!" 

"There  is  nothing  to  tell,"  replied  Merna 
looking  distressed. 

A  wild  chorus  of  dissent  greeted  this  reply; 
as  soon  as  possible  Merna  slipped  away  to  cry 
out  her  grief  and  mortification.  She  thought 
that  everyone  of  them  was  laughing  at  her 
because  of  her  uncertainty  regarding  her  lover. 

Ned  certainly  had  no  such  feelings;  he  took 
everything  for  granted  in  a  laughing,  off-hand 
way,  not  to  be  resisted;  he  came  continually,  he 
monopolized  her  completely;  he  spoke  to  her, 
and  of  her  as  belonging  to  him,  but  always  in 
that  laughing  way  which  left  the  impression  of  a 
joke;  he  did  not  say,  such  a  day  we  will  be 
married;  such  a  place  will  be  our  home;  he  said 
instead:  "You  belong  to  me;  you  could  not  get 
away  from  me  if  you  tried ;  I  should  find  you,  I 
shall  always  know  where  you  are." 

This  was  all  very  sweet,  but — very  unsatisfying. 
He  was  strong,  masterful,  laughingly  domi 
nant  ;  but  he  was  also  either  very  thoughtless,  or 
very  secretive. 

He  made  no  allusion  to  the  time  of  his  absence 
except  once ;  he  had  that  evening  been  unusually 
demonstrative,  and  Merna — from  some  remark 
made  by  him — felt  emboldened  to  ask:  "Where 
were  you  while  so  long  absent?" 

"Oh,  a  dozen  places.  I  can't  tell  you — things 
get  so  mixed  up  sometimes  that  I  don't  know 
what  I'm  about  myself,"  he  replied  evasively. 

"You  might  have  written,  "said  Merna  quietly, 
it  almost  seemed  indifferently. 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  239 

"Yes,  I  know — in  fact  I  meant  to,  but — I  hate 
to  write  letters,  and  there  was  nothing  that  you 
would  care  to  know — "  he  broke  off  abruptly, 
as  though  he  did  not  wish  to  betray  himself. 

"No,  of  course  not,"  answered  Merna,  with 
quiet  sarcasm;  she  felt  hurt  and  indignant,  but 
was  altogether  too  proud  to  show  it. 

Although  Merna  made  no  further  mention  of 
it,  he  seemed  to  feel  ashamed  of  his  neglect,  and 
repeatedly  said:  "I  will  never  leave  again,  with 
out  telling  you  that  I  am  going;"  so  that  in  this 
respect  she  felt  a  greater  assurance;  but  he 
spent  the  evening  with  her  as  usual,  and  in  the 
usual  manner  bid  her  good-night,  and  she  saw 
him  no  more  for  three  years. 

Sad  changes  came  to  Merna  during  this  inter 
val;  her  mother,  long  a  widow,  sickened  and 
died.  Merna's  grief  was  beyond  words — beyond 
thought  even;  it  benumbed  all  her  senses.  The 
home  which  she  had  thought  her  own  was  taken 
from  her — unjustly— but  what  did  that  matter? 
She  was  alone,  and  as  ignorant  of  law  as  a  babe. 
Poor  child!  She  thought  that  it  did  not  mat 
ter,  that  nothing  mattered,  now  that  the  gentle 
face  of  her  mother  had  faded  out  of  life;  she  felt 
that  she  could  no  longer  live  within  those 
memory-haunted  walls.  During  all  these  sad 
days  she  heard  nothing  from  Ned,  and  her  heart 
cried  out  piteously  :  "Oh,  if  he  truly  loved  me 
he  would  not  leave  me  to  bear  my  burdens  alone. " 
These  hard  realities  took  away  all  the  linger 
ing  grace  of  girlhood,  but  added  the  charm  and 
poise  of  sweet,  self-reliant  womanhood. 

In  these  old  towns,  where  people  are  born, 


2 -JO  FLOATING   FANCIES. 

live,  and  die  in  the  same  old  house,  generation 
after  generation;  where  the  "ways  are  peaceful 
and  narrow;  where  people  drift  along,  content 
with  no  innovations  of  knowledge,  or  new  ways 
brought  from  the  bustling,  outside  world,  there 
develops  an  aristocracy  peculiarly  its  own,  and 
those  not  within  its  old-fashioned  circle  can 
scarcely  obtain  a  living.  Not  to  own  the  home 
which  their  ancestors  owned  is  looked  upon  as  a 
disgrace;  and  owning  it,  to  part  v\ith  it,  though 
the  misfortune  is  not  through  fault  of  the  owner 
— is  considered  a  greater  disgrace,  for  which 
there  could  be  no  extenuation.  Merna  very 
keenly  realized  that  she  was  under  the  ban  of 
social  ostracism.  She  left  this,  her  native 
place,  for  a  town,  newer  and  busier,  where  work 
was  to  be  had  for  such  unskilled  hands  as  hers. 

Being  wholly  inexperienced  in  the  ways  of  the 
world,  as  well  as  in  labor,  Merna  found  it  hard 
to  obtain  the  moans  of  subsistence;  she  was  a 
woman  fair  to  look  upon,  and  alone,  therefore 
her  path  was  beset  with  peril;  but  she  was  able 
to  retain  her  own  self-respect — that  most  truth 
ful  of  all  commendation — she  was  possessed  of  too 
much  native  refinement  to  be  led  into  the  vulgar 
ity  of  evil  ways,  or  seduced  from  right  by  fluent 
sophistries. 

One  blustering  day,  when  the  wind  shrieked 
around  the  street  corners,  and  carried  onward 
clouds  of  fine,  penetrating  dust,  intermingled 
with  the  falling  snow,  whirling  both  into  every 
opened  doorway  with  malicious  violence,  a  man 
wrapped  in  a  great,  shaggy  overcoat,  opened  the 


FLOATING  FANCIES. 

door  of  the  little  store  kept  by  Merna.  There 
had  been  no  customers  all  the  morning;  unless 
otherwise  compelled,  all  were  glad  to  remain 
within  doors. 

Merna  came  from  the  sitting  room  in  the  rear, 
and  walked  behind  the  counter  awaiting  her 
customer's  pleasure;  with  his  back  toward  her, 
he  had  taken  off  his  fur  cap,  and  was  knocking 
out  the  snow  against  the  door.  Something 
familiar  in  the  movements  and  attitude  gave  her 
a  start,  but  it  was  not  until  he  had  unbuttoned 
his  coat,  and  turned  toward  her,  that  she  really 
recognized  him;  he  walked  to  the  counter, 
reaching  out  both  Lands,  his  blond  face  one 
broad  smile.  It  was  Ned — stalwart,  hearty,  and 
as  usual — laughing. 

Merna  stood  like  one  shocked,  a  terrible  weak 
ness  assailed  her;  she  saw  the  laughing  face  but 
dimly,  his  voice  sounded  strange  and  far  off. 

His  robust  tones  aroused  her:  "Aren't  you 
going  to  shake  hands  with  me,  after  I  have  had 
such  a  time  finding  you?"  he  asked. 

"Why  did  you  seek  me?"  cried  Merna  pas 
sionately,  surprised  out  of  her  usual  self-control. 

"Because  I  wanted  to  see  you,  to  be  surel" 
The  same  laughing  insousiance  as  of  old,  so 
impossible  to  understand;  it  might  be  pleasant 
railery,  it  was  quite  as  likely  to  be  sarcasm. 

"I  wish  that  you  Lad  stayed  away — after 
three  years!"  her  voice  rising  sLrilly. 

He  walked  deliberately  around  the  end  of  the 
counter,  caught  botL  her  Lands  and  held  them 
firmly,  his  warm  breatL  sweeping  Ler  cLeek  his 
face  so  very  near  her  own.  "Did  I  not  tell  you 


242  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

that  I  should  find  you?  I  shall  never  lose  sight 
of  you!"  his  face  still  lower,  his  lips  touching 
her  cheek  caressingly.  "I  am  so  glad  to  see 
you,  my  Merna!  Say,  'Ned  I  am  glad  that  you 
are  here!'  "  he  whispered  tenderly. 

Ah,  well!  A  woman's  a  woman!  and  poor 
girl,  her  heart  throbbed  so  happily ;  it  seemed  so 
good  to  have  this  great  strong  man  holding  her 
hands,  whispering  to  her  in  this  tender  tone; 
what  if  the  words  did  not  promise  much,  the 
tone  conveyed  a  world  of  tender  meaning,  and — 
she  was  so  lonely.  She  had  been  so  fiercely 
angry  at  him  that  she  thought  she  hated  him; 
she  found  that  it  was  the  act  that  she  hated,  and 
not  the  man;  he  held  his  old  place  in  her  heart. 
Presently  she  was  shedding  happy  tears  on 
his  broad  shoulder,  and  looking  happily  up  into 
his  face  through  her  wet  lashes;  thrilling  from 
her  foolish  little  heart  to  the  ends  of  her  fingers 
with  the  delight  of  his  very  presence. 

From  this  time  on  how  different  the  dull, 
prosaic  work  seemed;  the  anticipation  of  the 
happy  evening  glorified  each  day,  and  he  never 
failed  to  come.  He  appeared  to  be  perfectly 
content  in  her  company ;  he  called  her  fond 
names,  and  usurped  all  the  privileges  of  an 
accepted  lover.  He  occasionally  alluded  to 
business,  sometimes  ending  with,  "When  I  get 
things  into  shape,  I'll  pick  you  up  and  carry  you 
off." 

Often  Merna  felt  hurt,  the  allusions  were  so 
vague  and  really  unmeaning,  and  the  talk  of 
business  so  indefinite — the  sentences  never  quite 
complete — BO  that  she  had  no  certain  knowledge 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  243 

as  to  what  was  his  business.  A  half-confidence 
is  much  more  vexatious  than  no  confidence  as  it 
puts  one  to  thinking;  this  was  really  no  trust 
at  all  in  her;  just  an  aggravating  shadow,  like 
a  cloud  over  the  summer  sun,  which  when 
you  look  upward  in  expectation  of  its  grateful 
shade  has  sailed  away. 

A  whole  year  passed  away,  and  living  in  the 
light  of  his  presence,  her  uneasy  feeling  had 
mostly  worn  away;  if  she  gave  it  thought — that 
in  reality  she  knew  no  more  of  the  future  than 
when  he  first  returned,  she  consoled  herself,  and 
excused  him,  by  saying,  "Oh,  he  is  so  odd,  but 
he  means  all  right." 

As  upon  previous  occasions  there  came  an 
evening  when  she  waited  for  him  in  vain ;  she 
could  not  settle  herself  to  anything,  even  the 
chatter  of  her  customers  annoyed  her,  and  her 
ear  persistently  hearkened  for  a  well-known  foot 
step;  something  must  have  detained  him  un 
avoidably;  he  would  surely  come  to-morrow 
evening,  but  all  the  while  her  heart  was  sinking 
heavily.  He  did  not  come  the  next  evening,  nor 
the  one  following,  and  her  fear  grew  to  a  cer 
tainty.  She  mentioned  his  name  to  no  one,  but 
watched  the  passers-by  on  the  street,  feverishly; 
she  eagerly  looked  over  the  newspapers,  hoping 
for  a  chance  mention  of  him.  The  days  seemed 
so  long  and  wearisome;  the  corners  of  her 
mouth  took  a  sad  droop;  the  work  grew  so- 
irksome.  Others  sought  her  company,  but  she 
turned  from  them  with  dislike,  or  made  com 
parisons  to  their  great  detriment. 

Business  had  heretofore  been  very  good,  but 


244  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

Lard  times  came  on,  and  little  by  little  trade 
dropped  off;  it  grew  dull,  then  vexatious  and 
finally  exasperating;  complaints  were  heard  on 
every  side.  The  days  grew  doubly  sad  when  no 
customers  came  in  to  break  the  heavy  monotony ; 
the  very  silence  grew  oppressive,  and  Merna 
could  scarcely  restrain  her  tears.  Her  heart  grew 
hard  and  bitter  toward  Ned,  toward  the  world, 
and  fate. 

The  wind  whistled  shrilb'  around  the  loosely 
built  building,  rattling  the  boards  and  battens, 
and  swaying  the  canvas  walls  and  ceiling  dizzily, 
making  Merna  feel  more  desolate  and  despondent 
than  usual.  She  stood  behind  the  cigar  case, 
looking  gloomily  out  upon  the  wind-swept  street ; 
as  if  conjured  up  by  her  thought,  Martin 
Balfour — her  chief  creditor — entered  the  store. 

He  came  in  with  a  great  swagger,  and  called 
for  a  cigar:  "Gi'mme  a  good  one — twenty-five 
cent-er;  I  reckon  I  can  afford  it!"  with  an  inso 
lent  leer. 

Without  reply,  she  handed  him  the  box,  to 
make  his  own  choice. 

He  selected  one,  lighted  it,  and  leaning  lazily 
against  the  show  case,  puffed  vthe  smoke  in  huge 
volumes;  he  finally  took  the  weed  from  his  lips, 
ejected  a  mouthful  of  saliva  on  to  the  clean  floor, 
flicked  the  ashes  off  with  his  little  finger,  and 
said,  "Well,  Miss  Wood,  I  s'pose  you  are  ready 
to  chalk  up  this  morning?" 

Merna  flushed  a  vivid  red,  then  went  deadly 
pale ;  this  man  held  a  mortgage  on  everything 
she  possessed,  and  his  manner  was  distinctly 
aggressive.  "I  could  not  get  the  money  this 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  245 

morning,  Mr.  Balfour;  I  have  the  promise  of 
it  the  latter  end  of  the  week,  and  I  beg  of  you 
to  wait,"  faltered  Merna. 

He  laughed  loudly  and  coarsely :  "As  to  wait 
ing,  I've  waited  just  as  long  as  I  am  going  to; 
my  kindness  is  all  right,  but  I'm  no  guy,  see! 
Your  chump  of  a  fellow  left  you  to  shift  for  your 
self;  I'm  not  one  to  drag  up  bygones — I'll  marry 
you,  and  call  the  debt  square!"  He  leaned 
across  the  showcase,  and  tried  to  grasp  her  hand. 

Merna  drew  herself  up  indignantly  :  "I  thank 
you,  but  I  prefer  paying  my  debts  in  a  legiti 
mate  way." 

"Well,  fork  over,  then,"  he  said  brutally. 

Tears  filled  her  eyes,  she  had  not  one-tenth 
the  amount,  so  she  tried  to  temporize:  "I  will 
certainly  raise  it  by  the  middle  of  the  week " 

"The  mortgage  is  due;  it's  got  to  be  paid  to 
day!  I'm  going  to  take  no  more  guff — either 
you  promise  to  marry  me,  or  I'll  take  the  stock 
before  night,  see!"  Protruding  his  face  toward 
her  still  more  aggressively. 

Merna  grew  calm  as  he  became  excited;  she 
thought  of  Ned  with  a  pang  of  bitterness,  that 
he  could  place  her  in  a  position  to  be  insulted 
upon  his  account  by  such  a  man ;  but  her  dis 
gust  of  the  man  himself  outweighed  all  else. 
"Take  the  goods  now;  I  shall  make  no  more 
effort!"  she  said  coldly. 

"You'll  be  sorry!  You'll  come  whining  to  me 
when  you're  starving,"  he  flung  after  her 
angrily,  as  he  went  out. 

Within  an  hour  the  place  was  stripped  of 
everything;  Merna  stood  with  folded  arms  and 


£46  FLOATING  FANCIES. 

saw  them  taken  out  without  a  tear,    she   seemed 
benumbed. 

An  acquaintance  passing,  came  in:  "What  is 
the  trouble,  Miss   Wood  ?     Are  you   obliged   to 
give  up?"  he  asked  kindly. 
"Yes,"  briefly. 

He  looked  at  her  sorrowful  face,  and  his  heart 
filled  with  pity  for  her.  He  laid  his  hand  over 
her's,  and  said  kindly:  ''I  wish  that  you  would 

give  me  the  privilege  of  caring  for  you " 

Merna  put  out  her  hand  as  though  to  shield 
herself:  "Wait!  Wait!  I  cannot  answer  you 
now;  come  back  this  evening;  my  heart  is  too 
full  now  to  think — I  thank  you — "  she  finished 
brokenly. 

He  lifted  her  hand  to  his  lips  respectfully,  as 
he  replied,  "I  will  come,"  and  went  out  quietly. 
Merna  felt  a  hysterical  desire  to  laugh;  two 
proposals  in  one  morning,  and  not  an  earthly 
thing  which  she  could  call  her  own;  she  thought 
grimly  that  she  could  not  accuse  either  of  them 
of  being  fortune  hunters.  Everything  had  been 
taken  except  a  small  sheet-iron  stove,  an  old 
chair,  and  a  rickety  table,  these  had  not  been 
considered  worth  removing.  She  sat  down  in 
the  chair,  and  laid  her  head  on  her  arms  on  the 
table;  she  wished  that  she  could  cry,  her  heart 
beat  so  heavily;  a  wild  anguish  swept  over  her 
as  she  thought  of  her  mother;  she  would  not 
have  deserted  her  in  her  hour  of  need ;  she  cried 
aloud  as  a  thought  of  Ned  forced  itself  upon  her 
consciousness:  "Why  cling  to  the  shadow  of  a 
love,  which  only  tantalizes  me;  he  had  no  real 
love  for  me!  I  was  just  a  good  comrade — and  a 
fool!"  she  added  bitterly. 


FLOATING  FANCIES.  247 

Presently  she  resumed  her  self-communing: 
"Why  not  accept  this  last  proposal?  Torn 
Thornton  is  a  good  man,  and  he  loves  me;  better 
one  who  loves  me  so  well,  than  waste  my  life 
upon  a  shadow  which  ever  eludes  my  grasp;" 
the  well-remembered  look  of  Ned's  jolly  face — 
though  she  was  so  sad — made  her  smile,  then 
sigh  restlessly. 

With  her  head  resting  upon  the  table  she 
dropped  off  into  wearied  slumber,  from  whence 
she  entered  dreamland.  Strange,  troubled 
visions  passed  her,  out  of  which  evolved  Tom 
Thornton's  face,  she  heard  him  enter,  and  he 
stood  beside  her,  her  affianced  husband;  he 
sought  to  take  her  hand,  but  she  turned  from 
him  with  aversion,  reaching  out  both  hands  to 
Ned,  who  approached  her,  stern  and  menacing. 

"I  can-not!     I  can-not!"  she  cried  piteously. 

"What  is  it,  that  you  cannot  do?"  said  a 
hearty  voice  in  her  ear. 

"Marry  Tom  Thornton!"  raising  her  woe-be- 
gone,  haggard  face. 

"I  should  think  not!  You  are  going  to  marry 
me  this  very  night!  I've  got  everything  fixed — • 
a  nice  home,  and  all,"  he  finished  exultantly, 
but  as  usual,  indefinitely. 

Merna  was  very  wide  awake  now,  and  cried 
out,  bitterly,  "Why  did  you  come  back?  Why 
don't  you  stay  away  when  you  go?"  the  only 
thought  presented  to  her  mind  being  that  he 
would  sta.v  until  her  whole  hopes  were  fixed 
upon  him,  then  he  would  again  leave. 

"Why  did  I  come?  After  you,  of  course! 
Little  woman,  I  depended  upon  you,  you  prom- 


FLOATING    FANCIES. 

ised  me,  you  know!"  bis  voice  trembling  with  an 
undefined  fear. 

"Yes,  I  remember  that  I  promised,  but  you 
seem  to  have  forgotten,  ever  since  that  you  asked 
me  for  that  promise!"  indignantly. 

His  good-looking  face  sobered  into  amazement : 
"Merna!  I  only  wished  to  keep  all  the  worry 
away  from  you.  I  thought  that  you  would  not 
understand,  and  if  I  told  you  it  would  make 
you  anxious!"  a  deep  trouble  in  his  voice. 

Merna  stood  up,  her  hands  on  his  shoulders: 
"Oh,  Ned,  Ned!  Do  you  think  that  I  am  a 
baby' — that  I  haven't  a  grain  of  sense?  A 
woman  thinks  that  the  man  she  loves  is  able  to 
accomplish  all  things — if  only  he  tells  her  all 
about  it,"  she  finished  with  a  gleeful  laugh. 

He  stood  looking  at  her  in  bewilderment,  try 
ing  to  get  the  whole  meaning  of  that  speech 
into  his  mind;  at  last  he  caught  her,  giving  her 
an  extravagant  hug:  "I  see  what  you  mean;  you 
want  me  to  understand  that  we  are  to  be  partners 
in  all  things;  the  business  as  well  as  the  pleasure 
— the  sorrow  as  well  as  the  joys;  I  never  had  a 
little  'pard'  before,  and  I  think  I  did  not  catch 
on  j'ust  right;  but  I'll  remember  my  lesson,'' 
said  he,  laughing  happily. 

The  door  stood  slightly  ajar,  as  Ned  had  left 
it  upon  entering,  and  Tom  Thornton  stepped 
quietly  within;  he  paused  and  smiled;  then 
sighed  as  he  silently  went  out.  He  was  answered. 

THE     END. 


Remarks  by  Bill  Nye, 


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Kerchiefs  to  Hunt  Semis. 

By  M.  AMELIA  FYTCHE. 

NeeJy's  Popular  Library. 

Paper,  25c, 

Of  late  years  writers  have  found  it  necessary 
to  attract  the  eye  of  the  passing  public  toward 
their  work  by  giving  it  some  striking  title.  Un 
fortunately  in  many  instances  these  remarkable 
names  serve  only  that  purpose,  and  have  little  or 
no  application  for  the  story.  This  can  hardly 
be  said  of  Miss  Fytche's  new  book,  "  Kerchiefs 
to  Hunt  Souls."  If  for  no  other  reason,  this 
book  should  certainly  arouse  considerable  curi 
osity  on  account  of  the  remarkable  title,  which 
the  author  has,  she  confesses,  dug  out  of  the  Bible, 
in  order  to  stamp  the  peculiar  features  of  her 
story.  It  is  a  book  well  worth  reading,  and  one 
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better  things  to  come  from  this  talented  writer. 
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California,  which  fact  is  in  itself  enough  to  stamp 
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the  estimation  of  the  modern  editor. 


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Novels  of  Willis  Steel 

In  A  MOUNTAIN  CF  GOLD  the  reader  is  led  through 
many  strange  adventures,  while  a  vein  of  love  arouses 
the  interest  of  the  fair  sex.  Mr.  Steell  has  shown  more 
than  ordinary  power  in  describing  Western  scenes.  For 
many  years  to  come  the  region  from  the  Rockies  to  thi 
Pacific  must  be  the  home  of  romance.  The  century  be 
(ore  us  is  destined  to  be  marked  by  stupendous  discover 
ies  in  the  treasures  of  the  earth,  and  stories  of  mining 
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ISIDRA,  THE  PATRIOT  DAUGHTER  OF  MEXICO. 
The  land  of  the  Montezumas  has  always  been  invested 
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Spanish  invader,  Cortez,  swept  over  the  country  with 
his  conquering  army  of  treasure  seekers.  This  interest, 
instead  of  waning  as  the  years  pass  by,  rather  increases. 
New  knowledge  of  Mexico  but  whets  our  eagerness  to 
learn  more  of  her  strange  people,  their  methods  of  living, 
and  the  vast  treasures  that  lie  sealed  under  her  mountain 
ledges.  "  Isidra  "  is  written  by  one  who  is  thoroughly 
at  home  in  his  subject.  It  is  a  charming  tale  of  love 
ind  adventure  under  the  Mexican  flag,  and  one  cannot 
-ead  the  romance  without  learning  many  inchesting 
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MEN  AS  YOU  AND  I 

By 
BOLTON  HALL. 

Author    of    KWno    Pays    Your    Taxes  1"  "  Equitable 
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plicable  and  applied  to  personal,  social  and 
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prefaced  by  a  letter  of  Tolstoy's  to  the  author, 
endorsing  his  view  of  life. 

The  allegories  which  form  the  first  part  show 
how  in  ordinary  life,  as  Oliver  Shreiner  puts  it, 
greatness  is  to  take  the  common  things  of  life  and 
to  walk  truly  among  them;  happiness  is  a  great 
love  and  much  serving;  holiness  is  an  infinite 
compassion  for  others. 

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Crosby,  which  is  a  complete  sketch  in  itself. 

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Through  Field  and  Fallow. 

A  Choice  Collection  of  Original  Poems, 

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ing  hope  and  unquenchable  faith. 

Much  of  Mrs.  Page's  work  has  appeared  first  in  our 
great  daily  newspapers,  but  its  life  has  been  less  ephem 
eral  than  theirs.  Here  and  there  a  woman  has  treasured 
some  bit  in  her  scrap  book  ;  a  man  has  clipped  a  verse 
and  put  it  away  in  the  drawer  of  his  desk  marked 
"private."  Sooner  or  later  in  this  little  volume  the 
reader  will  find  the  poem  that  was  written  for  him. 

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helped  to  lighten  the  great  burden  that  rests  upon 
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Hypnotism.    (Illustrated.)    Jules  Claretie. 

Facing  the  Flag.    Jules  Verne. 

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THE  KING  IN  YELLOW* 

By 

Robert  W.  Chambers. 

Author  of  "  In  the  Quarter." 

Neely's  Prismatic  Library. 

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sation  ;  ...  in  any  case  it  is  the  most  notable  contribution  to  literature  which 
has  come  from  ?.n  American  publisher  for  many  years  ;  and  fine  as  the  accom 
plishment  is,  ;  Thr;  King  in  Yellow  '  is  large  in  promise.  One  has  a  right  to  ex 
pect  a  great  deal  from  an  author  of  this  calibre." 

TIMES  HERALD:— "The  most  eccentric  little  volume  of  its  (little)  day 
1  The  King  in  Yellow  '  is  subtly  fascinating,  and  compels  attention  for  its  style, 
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NEW  YORK  TIMES  : — "  Mr.  Robert  W.  Chambers  does  not  have  a  system  to 
work  up  to  ;  he  has  no  fad,  save  a  tendency  to  write  about  the  marvelous  and  the 
impossible  ;  painting  nurtures  of  romance  that  have  a  wild  inspiration  about  them. 
Descriptive  powers  of  no  mean  quality  are  perceptible  in  this  volume  of  stories." 

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a  good  painter.  His  situations  are  most  delicately  touched,  and  some  of  his  de 
scriptions  are  exquisite.  He  writes  like  an  artist.  He  uses  colors  rather  than 
ideas.  .  .  .  The  best  drama  in  the  volume  means  madness.  The  tenderest 
fancy  is  a  sad  mirage.  .  .  .  '  The  King  in  Yellow  '  is  a  very  interesting  con 
tribution  to  the  present  fund  of  materio-mysticism.  .  .  .  To  read  Mr.  Cham 
bers'  little  book  is  to  escape  from  the  actual  on  poetical  wings." 

MINNEAPOLIS  TRIBUNE  :—"  They  have  a  mysterious  eerie  air  about  them 
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PHILADELPHIA  TIMES:— "Charming,  delicate,  skilful,  vivid." 

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color  and  delicately  tinted." 

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uncanny,  picturesque,  and  yet  a  gem  of  exquisite  coloring,  dreamy,  symbolic, 
exciting."  ^^^_^^__^^^^^^ 

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PAOLA   CORLETII, 

THE  FAIR  ITALIAN. 

By  ALICE  HOWARD  HILTON, 

Author  of  "A  Blonde  Creole." 
Neely's  Popular  Library,  paper  250. 

This  is  a  charming  romance  of  life  in  Italy 
and  New  Orleans — of  a  pretty  Italian  maid., 
daughter  of  a  Neapolitan  nobleman,  who  elopes 
with  the  lover  of  her  choice,  a  poor  musician, 
and  being  hounded  by  the  emissaries  of  a  disap 
pointed  suitor,  in  conjunction  with  her  angry 
father,  they  start  for  America,  settling  in  the 
famous  French  Quarter  of  New  Orleans. 

The  story  is  sweet  and  pure,  and  full  of  ex- 
Deeding  pathos — the  descriptive  bits  of  old  New 
Orleans,  with  its  Jackson  Square  and  St.  Louis 
Cathedral,  opposite,  are  clever  pictures  of  the 
Creole  City  of  the  past.  Since  Cable  has  ceased 
his  admirable  novels  of  these  interesting  people, 
the  public  will  undoubtedly  welcome  an  addition 
to  Creole  literature  from  the  pen  of  one  sc 
thoroughly  conversant  with  the  subject  as 
Hilton. 


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UTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


Mil  III  H  ii  ii" 

A     000046747     2 


